No Matter What They Say
by aelitacodelyoko
Summary: What happens to the Gang as they try and adapt to new surroundings and relationships. Should Aelita be with Jeremie or Odd? A Trip turned upside down. A Cave. A Relationship. And an unforgetable actionpacked journey. Rated T for a reason!
1. Someone New

**No Matter What They Say**

**Chapter 1: Someone New**

"Jeremie! How could you! I don't even know you anymore!" Aelita yelled and ran out of Jeremie's room.

"That wasn't a very nice thing to do to Aelita. You know how much that meant to her," Ulrich said. "Lyoko can wait. I mean she really was counting on you to show up."

"Yeah! Just because you think its stupid, doesn't mean you shouldn't come!" Odd shouted. "The Subdigitals chose her. You didn't even come to her first music video shot. No, you didn't even come to her ONLY music video shot!"

"Jeremie, you can be such and idiot sometimes!" Yumi yelled.

Odd left the room as Yumi and Ulrich yelled some more. Jeremie tried to tell them why he didn't go, but they didn't take his excuses. Odd walked down the hall, down the stairs and into Aelita's room.

"If you're here to apologize, I'm not listening! Just go away!" Aelita yelled, full of tears. She didn't even look at the door.

"Well that's no way to greet a friend," Odd said and knelt down beside her.

"I'm sorry, Odd," she said as she turned around, trying to stop crying so he wouldn't see.

"Don't be. I know how you feel," he said. "It's ok. Cry if you want. You deserve to. Don't pretend to be this brave person." He wiped her tears away. "You can cry. We all cry. It's just a fact of life."

"Oh, Odd!" She yelled and burst into tears. She grabbed him and pulled him into a hug. He hugged back. She pulled her arms from around him and put them at her eyes. He pulled her to his chest and she cried into him. She was shaking.

"It'll be ok. Jeremie's just like that sometimes," Odd soothed. He felt awkward at first, but soon enough he felt as if he was doing something right. Aelita started shaking even more. He ran his hand through her hair and down her back. He then started rubbing her back to make her calm down. Soon enough, Aelita stopped shaking. Odd continued to rub her back and she stopped crying and ended up asleep after an hour or two. Odd didn't move a bit as he thought it would wake her up. It was around 8 when she had fallen asleep. He knew he could get in trouble if Jim found them, but he didn't care. He always got in trouble. Around 10 he tried to put her in her bed, but she almost woke up twice, so he stopped trying. He ended up letting her sleep on him the whole night. Once or twice in the middle of the night she would start to cry again and he would rub her back, and she would stop crying. He dosed all night, but never a deep sleep. Around 7 he woke up. Aelita was still there, it hadn't been a dream. That moment is when Odd realized something. He loved Aelita. She wasn't like the girls he had dated before. She was special. There was only one problem. Did she like him?

Around 6:40, Aelita woke up. At first she didn't realize where she was.

"Good morning, Princess," Odd whispered.

"Odd! Have I been asleep all night? Why didn't you wake me up?" Aelita asked looking at Odd. He let her go and stood up.

"Aelita, I know how miserable you felt last night. You needed someone. I just happened to be there. If I would have woken you up, you wouldn't have been comforted," Odd said.

"Thank you, Odd," Aelita said and hugged him. "I really can't thank you enough. It was just, well, Jeremie was and…" She started to cry again.

"You don't need an excuse," Odd whispered and hugged her tighter. "Don't cry. It's over with."

"Jeremie doesn't care about me." She hung her head. "All he cares about is that stupid computer! I was so stupid! How could he love me! How could anyone love me! I'm so stupid!"

"Stop it, Aelita!" Odd yelled. He grabbed her by the sides of the arms. "Don't say that. Yumi loves you, and Ulrich loves you, and more importantly, I love you. We all care about you, Aelita. You know that. Jeremie loves you too. He may be some computer freak who spends way more time on the computer than with his friends, but we all know that he cares about you. You have a bunch of friends, Aelita. Way more than anyone here, and do you know why?"

Aelita shook her head.

"Because we all care about you so much, we risk our lives everyday. We protect you and care for you. We won't let anything happen to you. Ulrich and Yumi know that. I know that. Even Jeremie knows that. We all care for you. Don't let anyone or anything make you believe otherwise."

Aelita hugged him. Odd hugged back.

"You make more sense than anyone in our whole group of friends," Aelita whispered in Odd's ear.

"I'm ok."

"You're better than ok. You're really great. Do you know that?"

"I do now," he whispered back into her ear.

She hugged him tighter. After a while she pulled away and looked at him at arms length. "You are a really good friend. I'm so glad you were there. I even feel more comfortable around you than with Jeremie, or Ulrich, or Yumi for all that matters." _Oh no, am I in love with Odd? What about Jeremie? I thought we were in love. But he's been so distant lately. _

"I feel good when I'm around you too. I mean, we fight, but we always seem to get along after a while." _I do love Aelita. I can't tell her though. I know she wants to be with Jeremie._ "I know you and Jeremie will make up, just like we do."

"I know," Aelita replied. "He's just so stubborn sometimes." _I think I want to be with Odd. But, he may not love me. I guess I'm meant to be with Jeremie. Unless Odd says something I'll just forget about it._

_Just say something! There's nothing that will hurt with trying. Unless she doesn't love me and it ends up being awkward and we ruin our friendship. No, I better not. _"I know. He'll come to his senses eventually. Let's go to breakfast!" Odd said and headed for the door. Just as he was about to open it, he heard a knock on the door. Aelita went and answered the door instead.

"Hello?" she asked as she opened the door.

"Aelita. I'm sorry," Jeremie said then hung his head.

"Jeremie, sometimes I think you have more fun with that computer than you do with me!" Aelita yelled. "Come on, Odd. We're going to breakfast." Aelita grabbed Odd's wrist and pushed past Jeremie. "Good bye," she said and didn't even turn around.

_What in the world was she doing with Odd?_

"Good morning," Ulrich said as Aelita and Odd sat down at the table. He didn't mention the fact that Odd hadn't come to bed last night.

"Morning, Ulrich. Morning, Yumi," Aelita said as she sat down.

"Good morning!" Odd said and sat next to her.

"So, did you two have a good night sleep?" Yumi asked.

"Um…yeah," Aelita said as she took a quick glance at Odd.

"It was fine," Odd said knowing that Ulrich knew he hadn't come to bed. He was just hoping that he hadn't told Yumi.

"Good," Yumi answered. "So, Aelita did you run into Jeremie on your way toward breakfast?"

"Yeah," she answered softly.

"Oh, I'm sorry. If you don't want to talk about it than we don't have to," Yumi said quickly.

"Hi, guys," Jeremie said as he sat down next to Ulrich. Everyone was silent. "So, Odd what were you doing in Aelita's room this morning?" Yumi looked up kind of shocked. Aelita hung her head. Odd hung his head as well.

"Jeremie, that's none of your business," Odd said quickly.

"Hey, Ulrich, do you remember Odd coming to bed last night?" Jeremie asked kind of rudely. Yumi looked at Odd and Aelita, kind of wide eyed, who both had their heads down.

"Jeremie that is none of your business," Ulrich said.

"Yumi, didn't you see them come in at the same time?"

"Jeremie! Shut up!" Aelita yelled and got up and ran out of the room, causing everyone to stop eating and look over at their table. Odd, Ulrich, and Yumi also left. Jeremie was left at the table. Soon everyone started eating again.

"Ulrich!" Yumi yelled as Ulrich started to run to get back to his dorm. She started to run after him. "Ulrich!"

He stopped and turned around. "What?"

"Is it true?" Yumi asked.

"Is what true?"

"What Jeremie said."

"I don't think I should tell you that answer. I've got to go!"

"Ulrich!" Yumi ran after him and grabbed his shirt. "We're going to see Odd and Aelita."

------m------

"Aelita!" Odd yelled. He ran after her and into her room. "Aelita."

"Go away!" She yelled and started crying.

He pulled her toward him and hugged her. She stood there trying to brake away from him. She hit his chest and kicked him. Odd just stood there hugging her.

"Take your anger out on me. Go ahead," Odd said as if he didn't care she was hitting him. "Shh. Jeremie was rude, but I know he means well."

"Let go of me!" Aelita struggled. Odd held her tighter. She struggled even more. "Let go!"

She started to pull away. He grabbed her by the waist and held her tight.

"Shh. It will be ok," Odd said. _Should I tell her? I might as well._

"Let me go!" Aelita said struggling.

"Shh. It will be ok," Odd soothed. "I love you." Aelita stopped struggling. Odd kissed her.

The door opened and Yumi and Ulrich walked in. Odd and Aelita didn't realize they were there.


	2. Odd's Love

**This is a really long chapter!**

**Hope it was worth waiting for!**

**No Matter What They Say**

**Chapter 2: Odd's love**

"Um …," Ulrich and Yumi said as they saw what was going on in the room. Ulrich scratched the back of his head.

"Yumi! Ulrich! Um… I didn't realize you were h-here," Aelita said quickly breaking out of the kiss and stepping back. "It's-it's not what you think!"

"Um, I think I better here the story from the beginning," Yumi said and folded her arms and sat on Aelita's bed. Ulrich closed the door.

"Well, after the fight with Jeremie I ran to my room. Then Odd came and calmed me down. He was holding me, telling me not to worry," Aelita said blushing, "and I fell asleep in his arms. I woke up the next morning, and there he was. Don't ask what happened at night. I was asleep the whole time."

Yumi looked to Odd. "What do you think I am, a perv? I didn't do anything," Odd said defensively. "I wouldn't do anything. It's _Aelita_."

"I believe you, Odd," Aelita said. "Then Jeremie came and knocked on the door and found us together. Then I pushed past him, angrily, and we went to breakfast. Then he-he-he…" Aelita started to cry. "I didn't do anything. Odd was there for me. More than Jeremie has ever been. And he… he just…" She took a deep breath and wiped her tears. "Then after that happened I came back to my room, angry at him. Odd walked in and I was mad. Odd pulled me to him. I tried to break away, but he held me tight. I knew he was not going to let me hurt myself. It was a good thing he was here. Then, while he was calming me down, he said he loved me and kissed me."

"Oh, Aelita, don't cry," Yumi said and came over to her. She hugged her. "Jeremie shouldn't have done that. You did nothing wrong."

"Go away. Please, just go away!" Aelita yelled.

"Aelita, what's wrong?" Ulrich asked.

"Just go away! I need to think! Stop!" Aelita yelled and pushed Yumi away. Odd walked to the door and opened it. He walked back down the hall and up the stairs to Jeremie's room. Jeremie was just getting back. Odd stopped him before he got in his room.

"Did you enjoy that!?" Odd yelled. "Do you like hurting Aelita?! I thought you were supposed to like Aelita."

"Oh, and what were you doing in Aelita's room last night? Studying? Yeah, more like studying her," Jeremie shouted back.

"Is that what you think? I would never do that to Aelita. You know that," Odd said.

"Do I? This whole time I thought you liked her. I know you like her, Odd. Get over her. Just stay off my property," Jeremie said.  
"She's not your property! The way you treat her is cruel!"

------m------

Ulrich and Yumi walked out of Aelita's room and closed the door.

"If I know Odd, he's probably going to go and get in a fight with Jeremie," Ulrich said quickly.

"We'll we've got to go stop them!" Yumi said and ran for the stairs.

"The way you treat her is cruel!" Odd shouted and leaped at Jeremie. They started to fight, rolling on the ground.

"Stop! Odd! Jeremie!" Yumi shouted and grabbed Jeremie. Ulrich grabbed Odd. Soon they got them both off the floor. They stood facing each other. Ulrich still had to hold Odd who was ready to lunge at Jeremie at any minute. Yumi let go of Jeremie as soon as they got separated.

"Odd, cool it!" Ulrich said. Just then Aelita ran past crying. "See. Aelita must have seen you fighting."

Odd broke free from Ulrich. "You see what you do! You son of a bitch," Odd said through gritted teeth. "Aelita started crying twice in her sleep because of you. She thought nobody loved her. She thought nobody cared about her. She called herself stupid because of your fault. She might have killed herself this morning because of what you said at breakfast if I hadn't come in. If you hurt Aelita like that again, I'll hurt you. I'm not joking." Odd stomped off. Jeremie looked wide eyed.

_'Wow, he really does love Aelita,' thought Ulrich. _

"Come on, I wasn't that harsh," Jeremie said.

"Come on, Ulrich. Let's go," Yumi said and grabbed his hand. _Jeremie is so inconsiderate._

Ulrich and Yumi walked toward Odd and put there arms around him. He just shrugged them off and ran off.

------m------

Aelita was in her room, crying. _Jeremie's so mean. How could he do that? I can't even talk to him anymore. _She lied on her bed sidewise crying into her hands. She only had one thing on her mind. _Odd. He's just so…sweet. He was the only one there for me. I just …can't be with him. I'm not sure if I love him. He kissed me. I know he loves me._ She wiped her tears away. She walked out of her room and ran into Sissi.

"Oh, Aelita. I didn't see you. Did you here the news?" Sissi said excitedly.

"No," Aelita said softly.

"Since its summer, Daddy arranged that our whole grade should go on a class trip to the mountains. It'll be at a ski resort. Won't that be fun!?" Sissi said and ran off.

"That'll be loads of fun. It might even get my mind off of everything that's happened," She said to herself.

------m------

_Jeremie is so stupid! He thinks that Aelita is his property! I mean what is he thinking?! _Odd walked outside towards the park. He sat on a bench near the middle. He lied down on the bench and took a nap since he was tired from staying up so late with Aelita.

------m------

"Ulrich, did you hear Odd? He was so mad at Jeremie, it wasn't even funny," Yumi said walking with Ulrich.

"Yeah. Who knew he could get that mad?" Ulrich asked.

"You can tell he really loves her. I just feel sorry for Aelita. She must have a million and one things going through her head at the same time."

"He really does love her. Just like I love you," Ulrich said.

"I know, the only thing is…does Aelita love Odd?" Yumi asked.

"After all that, I know she doesn't like Jeremie. I mean, look what he did to her. It's one thing to miss something so important, but another to go and make her feel bad by talking about her and Odd. By the way, Odd must be feeling pretty bad too. I mean, Jeremie must have thought Odd…you know…did it with Aelita. He's got to be feeling awful," Ulrich said.

"I know Odd would never do that. Not to Aelita. Not after what happened between her and Jeremie. Not when she was feeling bad," Yumi said.

"Yeah, but that's what Jeremie would think. He'll do it to her when she's the most vulnerable," Ulrich said.

"Yeah, but you and I both know it's not true. Aelita believes Odd. That's good enough for me," Yumi said quickly.

------m------

Aelita was out walking around just for a bit of fresh air when she saw Odd sleeping on the bench in the park. She knelt down next to him and brushed her fingers through his hair. _What am I doing?_ She got up and started to walk away when Odd woke up.

"Hey, Aelita," Odd said in a rather gloomy way, that it seemed unnatural for him.

"Oh, Odd," Aelita said and burst into tears and fell on her knees next to the bench.

"Aelita," Odd said and pulled her up onto the bench and placed her head on his chest. "You need to stop doing this." He brushed his fingers through her hair.

"Odd, I can't," Aelita said in between sobs and gasps for breath. She looked up to Odd. Odd could see the pain in her eyes. He saw her crying. He also saw something he rarely saw in her eyes…fear. Aelita stared at him crying, not even afraid to show her emotions anymore.

"Aelita, I'm here for you. Don't be afraid," Odd said. "I want you to know I love you. I just don't know if you love me."

_This is a good time to tell him. _"Um…, Odd," Aelita said wiping her tears from her face and looking at him, "we are going to be going on a class trip this summer. It's to the mountains. A ski resort, to be exact. Sissi told me. I don't know that much about it."

_It sounds like she's avoiding my question._ "Oh, that'll be fun. I hope to hear more about it," Odd said gloomily. "I'm…um….well…" He scooted Aelita off his lap and stood up. "I'm gonna go to lunch. You don't have to come," he said and walked off toward the cafeteria.

"I'm coming with you!" Aelita yelled after a moment of hesitation. She ran after him.

------m------

"Attention! Attention!" Mr. Delmas shouted. Odd, Yumi, Ulrich, and Aelita were all sitting around their lunch table. "I'd like to inform you all that since it its summer holiday, we will be allowing anyone in the 5th -9th grades to go on a summer holiday trip to the mountains." People started to talk with each other.

"See, Odd," Aelita whispered.

"Settle down," Mr. Delmas started. Everyone quieted down. "This is a wonderful opportunity. Tonight at 8, the 5th-9th grades should come to the Gymnasium. You will all write down a list of 4 to 10 people you would like to be in your group. I am not saying they will all be in your group but there is a possibility. Most groups will be 6 to 8 people. Are there any questions?"

"How long will the trip last?" a 6th grader asked.

"For 5th-7th graders it will be all of June. For 8th-9th graders it will be all of June and July. Any other questions?"

"Um…what will we be doing?" a 7th grader asked.

"This trip is for your enjoyment. You can go skiing. You can go ice skating. You can go to some of the dances. You can go hiking. You can even just stay around the lodge. It's your choice. Just remember to pack warm clothes for however long you'll be staying. You also need parents or guardian signature in order to go."

"Mr. Delmas, for our groups, can they be boys and girls?" a 9th grader asked.

"I don't mind, as long as you all agree. We'll take a vote," Mr. Delmas said. "All in favor of just girls and just boys raise your hand." A bunch of 5th grade girls and boys raised their hands but not many others. "Ok and all in favor of coed groups raise your hand." Everyone else raised their hand. "Ok, we'll have coed groups. That is all." Mr. Delmas left.

"This'll be great," Aelita said quickly.

"Are you sure, Aelita? Will you be ok?" Yumi asked quickly.

"Oh, sure. I need something to help me get Jeremie off my mind. I'll be great," she said. "So, who do you want in your group?"

"Um…I haven't really thought of it," Yumi replied.

"We'll I know I want all of you in my group," Ulrich said. "And as much as I hate to say this, I think I'm gonna have to put down the clone. We all do. There is no way William we be fine without us."

"Yeah, you've go a point, Ulrich," Odd said. "As much as I hate the clone, we've got to put him on our list."

"Hi, guys," Jeremie said sitting down next to Odd. Odd and Aelita quickly got up. "What's their problem?"

"Um…I don't know, maybe it's the fact that you insulted them," Ulrich said. "I don't blame them."

"Did you here about the trip?" Yumi asked.

"Oh, yeah, I did. My dad already called saying it was ok for me to go. He called the office," Jeremie said.

"I gotta go," Yumi said as she got up. "Ulrich, you coming?"

"Sure." Ulrich got up and left Jeremie to eat on his own again.

------m------

"Mom, would it be ok if I went on a trip over the summer?" Yumi asked her mom later that day.

"How long is it, Yumi?" Mrs. Ishiyama asked from the kitchen.

"Oh, mom! I get to go, too!" Hiroki said coming down the stairs. "It's all of June!"

"Oh, that'll be fine," she replied.

"I get to stay through July," Yumi said quickly. "The _older_ kids stay longer."

"That'll be fine. You never seem to spend much time at home during the summer anyway."

"Thanks!" Yumi shouted and ran out the door.

------m------

"Um…Hi, Mom. You know how you only get to see me like twice every year," Odd started. He was talking on his cell phone. "Well, this summer we'll be taking a trip to the mountains. Can I go? Um…how long? Till July. Wait…Wait…I'll still be home all of August. I can!? Thanks!" He hung up.

"So you got permission," Ulrich said. "I can't wait to ask my parents," he said sarcastically. He started talking in an imitation of his dad. "'So, you want to go on a ski trip instead of visit.' Well yeah. 'You can't go.' But… Then he'll hang up on me. I'll love the conversation."

"Oh, come on, Ulrich. Just call him," Odd said.

"No."

"Come on," Odd said and took his cell phone.

"Hey, Odd, give it back!" Ulrich shouted and chased him around the room. Odd searched through Ulrich's contact list and clicked on 'Mom'.

"It's ringing!"

"Odd!" Odd threw the phone to Ulrich as his mom picked up. "Hi, Mom." Ulrich gave Odd a 'your dead' look.

"Hi, Ulrich," Mrs. Stern replied. "I haven't heard from you in a while."

"Can I go on a trip this summer? It will be till July," Ulrich said getting to the point.

"I don't see why not," Mrs. Stern said and sighed. "You never seem to come home anyway."

"Thanks."

"How have you been doing?" Mrs. Stern asked.

"Fine."

"You sound like you have someone on your mind," she said curiously. "Is it a girl?"

"MOM!" Ulrich said and turned red. Odd heard the question and grabbed the phone from Ulrich's hand.

"Hi, Mrs. Stern."

"Hello, Odd," She replied.

"Give it!" Ulrich said and chased Odd around the room as he talked to his mom.

"Has Ulrich being thinking of someone special lately?" Mrs. Stern asked. "A girl someone?"

"You must mean, Yumi. Yeah he thinks about her every day," Odd said quickly as he was being followed by Ulrich who finally got him and took back the phone.

"Ignore him!" Ulrich said quickly into the phone.

"Who's this Yumi? Ulrich, what's she like?" Mrs. Stern asked quickly.

Odd took the phone. "She's Japanese and she's a grade older than him!" Odd shouted.

Ulrich took the phone. "Ignore him."

"She's a year older? Aren't you setting you sights to high?" she said.

"Mom. Stop it! I'll call you later. Bye." He hung up. "ODD!"

"What? I had to do it! I needed to get back to being my normal self. You know. You'll get over it," he said. "Let's go find you're girlfriend!" Odd ran out of the room.

"ODD!"

**So, Did you like it!?**

**Review Please! I hate it when people don't review!**

**I accept flames!**


	3. Jeremie or Odd?

**Well i'm sorry for not giving you any chapters resently!**

**I hope this was worth waiting for! Plus you won't get any for a while since i'm going away for Thanksgiving!**

**No Matter What They Say**

**Chapter 3: Jeremie or Odd? **

Aelita walked down the hallway. She saw Odd run by with Ulrich cashing him, but she wasn't going to stop to follow them this time. She kept going. She stopped at a room near the end of the hallway. She knocked on the door.

"We need to talk. I don't care if you don't want to. I'm coming in anyway," She said and opened the door to see Jeremie was facing her at his computer desk.

"So, you finally want to talk. It took you long enough. I'm sorry. I told you that," Jeremie said. "You have to accept my apology."

"No, Jeremie, I don't. You want me to," Aelita said trying not to get too mad. "We need to talk."

"Ok, I'm listening," Jeremie said and crossed his arms.

_He's always laughing and flirting with me and  
You act like you don't even care  
As a matter a fact, you've been real distant lately  
Acting like I'm not even there _

"You act like this is normal! How could you miss something so important to me?!" Aelita said starting to get angry. "Odd was there for me! He didn't do anything! Why would you assume so? Jeremie answer me!"

He says that you don't deserve a girl like me  
I'm starting to think that he's right 

"Aelita, you know Odd. He's not your type. You know that."

"Oh, and I suppose that you're supposed to know my type! Isn't that my decision? Or am I not allowed to date anyone I like? Huh, is that it?" Aelita said.

"Aelita I don't want you to get hurt," Jeremie said.

"Oh, and Odd's hurt me loads of times. Yeah right! He's saved me more than you ever have. I know I'm not going to get hurt. He's more sensitive!"

_Baby _

If you let him take me from you  
I guess I finally see  
If you let him take me from you  
You never wanted me

Let this happen, and it proves  
That your love was never true  
If you let him take me from you, ooh baby  
If you let him take me from you 

"Aelita, that's not true!"

"Yes it is, Jeremie. Odd likes me! I know it. You know it. I know you know it!" Aelita said. "Don't pretend to not see it!"

"But, you don't like him. Do you?" Jeremie said then paused. "Aelita, you don't like him. You like me! I like you Aelita. I really do."

"Yes, but do you love me?"

_Why is it that when we go out  
Out together as one big crew  
I try to chill with you, dance or whatever  
And your homeboys' more interested than you _

"Jeremie, answer me."

"Aelita, you know I like you."

"But, do you love me? Jeremie, do you love me?!" Aelita said getting worked up. "Do you?"

"Aelita, I-I you…we…Aelita."

"Jeremie. Answer!" Aelita said.

He pays more attention to me than you lately  
I'm tempted to pay attention too 

"I really like you, Aelita," Jeremie started, but Aelita cut him off.

"But, you don't love me," she said quickly. "I'm not sure if I love you either! I know you saved me, but that doesn't mean anything!"

"Aelita, you aren't saying you like Odd, are you?" Jeremie said quickly. "Aelita, you can't like Odd. You can't."

Baby

If you let him take me from you  
I guess I finally see  
If you let him take me from you  
You never wanted me 

"Oh, and why can't I? You don't own me! Jeremie, I'm not your property!" Aelita screamed. "You can't just take it for granted that I'll always be there!"

"Aelita, you can't like us both! Who do you like? Me or HIM?!"

Let this happen, and it proves  
That your love was never true  
If you let him take me from you, ooh baby  
If you let him take me from you

Boy when I tried to show some affection to you  
You act like you got better things to do  
You want some lovin', that's when it's cool  
But baby boy, I'm not a fool 

"Jeremie, I don't know! Stop it!" Aelita screamed. Jeremie grabbed her by the sides of her arms.

"You can't like both of us!"

Boy, oh!

If you let him take me from you  
I guess I finally see  
If you let him take me from you  
(Ooh!) You never wanted me 

"Jeremie! You're hurting me. Stop!"

"Aelita, you can't like us both! WHO is it?!" Jeremie said and started shaking her. He couldn't believe Odd was about to win over Aelita.

Let this happen, and it proves  
(no no no!)  
That your love was never true  
If you let him take me from you, ooh baby  
(how can you let him take your woman)  
If you let him take me from you  
(are you gonna let him take me from you) 

"Jeremie! You're hurting me! Stop!" Aelita said and started to cry. As if on cue Ulrich opened the door and rushed in.

"Jeremie what are you doing!?" he yelled at him. Jeremie let go and Aelita fell to the floor still crying. Ulrich rushed over and helped her up. She hugged him around the neck and he started to rub her back. 

If you let him take me from you  
I guess I finally see  
If you let him take me from you  
(no no)You never wanted me 

"I-I don't know what got hold of me," Jeremie stuttered.

"Jeremie, save it," Ulrich said and guided Aelita to the door. She broke away and started running down the hall away from what happened. The thoughts still in her head. Did she love Jeremie or Odd?

_Let this happen, and it proves  
(just let me go)  
That your love was never true  
(let me go)  
If you let him take me from you, ooh baby  
(just let me know)  
If you let him take me from you_

Ulrich shut the door and started to run after Aelita. "Aelita! Aelita!" She kept running.

_Aelita Pov_

Ulrich caught up to me quickly. I just gave up. I couldn't stand this anymore. I wanted to just have a calm conversation, but Jeremie turned it into a feud.

"Aelita, hold still," Ulrich said grabbing my wrists. "Look at me."

I wanted to look anywhere but his face. Anywhere. I didn't want him to see me cry. I avoided it.

"Aelita. Calm down, I'm not going to hurt you. You know that," Ulrich said and I glanced up at his face. I don't know if it was the sight or it was just the way he looked, but I just couldn't hold it in, I cried.

"Ulrich," I croaked out. He let go of my wrists and I wrapped my arms around his neck. I couldn't help it. He started to rub my back, just like Odd. Then I thought of Odd and even more tears came. "Ulrich."

"Aelita?"

"Thanks, for well…" I started and couldn't find the words.

"No problem."

The next thing I knew Yumi came running up behind Ulrich. I pulled away from him quickly.

"Well, aren't we having fun with every guy in the group?" Yumi said. Ulrich turned around.

"Yumi!" he said quickly. I cried.

"Oh, Aelita, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that. I really am sorry," she said sweetly and put her arm around me. I wiped my tears away and looked at them.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't be doing this."

"Don't be sorry, Aelita," Ulrich said quickly. He put his arm around me.

"Come on, let's go take a walk," Yumi said and started walking. I broke away.

"I'm sorry, I need to be alone for a while," I said and turned to go to my room.

"Ok," Yumi said. "But, if by any chance you want to meet up with us and talk or do whatever, we'll be in Ulrich's room. Ok?"

"Yeah, sure," I said and walked to my room.

_End Pov_

"We'll be in my room?" Ulrich asked Yumi.

"Yeah, we'll be in your room. Got a problem?" Yumi asked.

"Um, no, not me, it's just the fact that I room with Odd, in case you have forgotten. Not a great place for Aelita," Ulrich said.

"Oh, right. That could've been better," she said and grabbed Ulrich's hand. "Come on!" She ran off.

------m------

Odd was looking for Ulrich. It was almost 5. Just 1 hour before dinner and 3 hours before picking the groups. He gave up after a while and went back to his room, surprisingly Ulrich and Yumi were there, both lying on Ulrich's bed.

"So if it isn't the lovebirds," Odd said and walked in. Ulrich and Yumi blushed and sat up. Odd closed the door. "I don't really care. Continue." He wasn't acting like himself anymore. Yumi walked over to Odd and sat next to where he lay down on his bed.

"Odd, is something up?" Yumi asked.

"Oh, I don't know," he said and rolled over sidewise and propped up his head on his hand.

"Are you sure?" Ulrich asked.

"No, I'm in love. I'll admit it."

"With who?" Ulrich asked.

"Watch out, Ulrich. It's Yumi!" Odd said and sat up, grabbing Yumi by the waist. "Oh, Yumi, dump him for me! I'll be twice as good!" He started laughing, so did Yumi. Ulrich turned red.

"Stop that."

"Oh come on, Ulrich, he was only joking," Yumi said, still laughing.

"No I wasn't! I love you!" Odd said and grabbed Yumi's hand.

"Oh, Odd, this is so unexpected. I love you too!" Yumi said and moved in for a kiss.

"Ok, quit it!" Ulrich said getting mad.

"Fine," Odd said backing away from Yumi. "Good job, Yumi. Really believable."

"Oh, but, Odd. I wasn't joking," Yumi said.

"Yumi!" Ulrich said and threw a pillow at her. They all started laughing. Then Aelita came in.

"Hi, Aelita!" Yumi said quickly. She also scooted away from Odd.

"Um, hi…I'm not like interrupting something, or anything? Right?" Aelita said as she stepped in the doorway. She looked to Odd and Yumi who were still smiling, on Odd's bed and Ulrich who was kind of angry looking, on his bed.

"No you're not interrupting. We're just having some fun with Ulrich," Odd said.

"Not funny, Odd!" Ulrich said quickly. "You we're having fun!"

"Oh, calm down Ulrich," Yumi said and came over to Ulrich's bed and sat next to him. She hugged him around the shoulders and smiled. "No hard feelings, right?"

"No, I guess not. But, pull that stunt again, Odd, and you're dead!" Ulrich said quickly, glaring at Odd.

"Did I miss something?" Aelita asked.

"Not much."

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	4. Groups

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**No Matter What They Say**

**Chapter 4: Groups**

"Well, in that case, Odd, you'll have to let me know when you annoy people. I'd like to watch," Aelita said quickly. Yumi and Odd started laughing as did Aelita.

"Not funny!" Ulrich said.

"It's good to see you're back to being your normal self, Aelita!" Yumi said and went over to her. "I'm glad."

"I know _I_ feel better. I'm still not so sure if I'm going to be ok on this trip though," she said.

"Don't worry about that," Ulrich said. "Just enjoy being with people who love you. Your friends."

"What friends? You mean you guys? Oh."

"Aelita!" Odd said and pulled her down onto his bed.

"Sorry, sorry, I had to do it!" Aelita said laughing.

"It's definitely good to see you feeling better, Princess," Odd said.

"I am the best!" Aelita said and jumped up off the bed and stood like a superhero with her hands on her hips. Yumi and Odd started laughing. "What's so funny?"

"You!" Yumi said and fell over from laughing. Ulrich shook his head. Odd fell onto the floor, laughing.

"I'm back! When's dinner?" Aelita asked.

"Wow, have you become the second walking stomach in our group? We don't need Odd and you both to be food machines," Ulrich said. "It's in about 15 minutes."

"Well sorry, but I didn't get to eat very much breakfast or lunch. Is that so bad?" she said and pulled Yumi up.

"Aelita, who are you going to put in your group?" Yumi asked.

She hadn't thought of that. Who was she going to put in her group? "Well, I'll put Ulrich and the clone, and you of course. Then, I'm not sure."

"Wait? What about me?" Odd said and sat up on the floor. "I'm here too! Hello! Aelita?"

"Ok, and Odd. Happy?" she said.

"Yes."

------m------

"I can't believe they changed the menu again!" Odd said as he sat down at the table. "I was looking forward to turkey. Then they changed it to meatloaf. Now, casserole! I hate casserole!"

"Oh, come on, Odd, it's not that bad," Aelita said and sat next to him. "See look," she took a bite, "mmmm. It's good. I like the cheese casserole."

"That makes two of us," Yumi said.

"I can't see what you guys see in this blah. It's like cardboard," Odd said and took a bite.

"Why are you eating it if you don't like it?" Ulrich asked.

"I've got to eat something! I can't miss another meal!" he said and took another bite only to make a face at it. "Oh, and even worse, the mashed potatoes were all gone before I got there."

"Fine, have mine," Ulrich said and pushed his tray toward Odd, who scarped all the potatoes on his tray and pushed the other one back to Ulrich.

"Thanks, you're the best."

"Yeah, whatever."

------m------

"Dinner was great!"

"Save it, Aelita!" Odd said. "The good thing is Jeremie didn't come!" Ulrich elbowed Odd in the ribs for him to shut up. "Oh."

"Yeah, I guess," Aelita said and got gloomy again. "Well, I'll see you later."

"Oh no, you don't!" Yumi said grabbing her arm. "I asked my mom and dad if it was ok, and all of you are coming to my house."

"For what? A sleepover?" Odd asked.

"Um…maybe. I know we are going to see like the scariest movie ever! I haven't asked if we could have a sleepover. Maybe, but I'm not sure my dad would like it," Yumi said.

Ulrich blushed a bit at the thought of a sleep over at a girl's house. "Um… you might want to ask first," he said.

"Ok, you guys can go on over to Ulrich and Odd's room and I'll run over to my house and ask my parents," Yumi said quickly. "See-ya!" She ran off.

"I'm not so sure a sleepover is a great idea," Ulrich said.

"Oh, Ulrich, you're just afraid we'd embarrass you in front of Yumi or her parents," Aelita said.

"Or, we'd find you kissing!" Odd said.

"Odd! Shut up!"

------m------

"Mom, I'm here. Can I talk to you?" Yumi asked running through the front door.

"I'm in the kitchen, darling," Mrs. Ishiyama said. "Come help me with the dishes!"

"Ok," Yumi said and walked into the kitchen grabbing a plate and starting to dry it off.

"You wanted to ask me something, Yumi?" Mrs. Ishiyama asked. "Is it about the movie? Can everyone come?"

"Um… yeah, about the movie, when is it?" Yumi asked starting a conversation. "I kind of forgot."

"Yumi, I told you it didn't matter anytime after 7:30."

"Well, we have to be in the Gym at 8, and I think it will only last about a half an hour," Yumi said.

"Well, then we'll start it at 8:45," Mrs. Ishiyama said handing Yumi another plate.

"Well, that's just it. The movie won't be over until like 12! So, I was wondering if they could just spend the night," Yumi said quickly. "Oh can they please?"

"Yumi, who were you going to invite?" Mrs. Ishiyama asked. "I only allow a certain amount of people over at one time."

"I was only going to invite three people," Yumi said quickly, not saying that two of them would be guys. "Oh can I?"

"Yumi, I guess, but I need to talk with you father. Let's go and talk to him. He'll decide," she said and walked out of the room.

"I was hoping she wouldn't say that," Yumi said under her breath and followed her. They got into the living room and Yumi spoke first. "Dad, can I have some friends over for the night? It will only be three. Can I, can I please?"

"Yumi, which friends will you be inviting?" Mr. Ishiyama asked.

_Why did he have to ask?_ "Oh, um… I was thinking of inviting Aelita."

"That is one. You said there were three. Who are the others?" he asked looking at her directly.

"Oh, Ulrich, and –," Yumi said but was cut off.

"Ulrich Stern?" Mr. Ishiyama asked quickly.

"Um… yes. I was going to ask him. He's my friend."

"Oh, and I suppose he will have no intention with my daughter other than a good time?" he said.

"Daddy! Ulrich isn't like that."

"Who is the other?" he asked quickly.

"Odd."

"Odd who?" her mother asked.

"Odd Della Robbia. He's also my friend."

"He also will behave?" Mr. Ishiyama said.

"Dad, trust me. I wouldn't hang around those kinds of people. They're my friends."

"They may come," he said quickly.

"But dad! If you gave them a chance-. Wait did you say yes?"

"They can come, but I have to talk to them first," he said. "Now go. You can tell them to pack. But, they're leaving before breakfast! We get up at 6!"

"Thank you, Daddy!" Yumi said and gave him a hug and ran out the door.

"She's growing up," Mrs. Ishiyama said.

"Yes, I just hope she does not grow up too quickly. I can't stand seeing my baby girl grow into a woman," Mr. Ishiyama said.

"Picture when that little girl starts dating," she replied. "Will you be ready for that?"

"I hope that this will not come for a while. 9th grade is a bit young," he said and went back to reading his book.

"I hope it has not come all ready," Mrs. Ishiyama said to herself. "Even if this boy brings joy to her eyes, I have not met Ulrich very well. I must meet him again."

------m------

Yumi ran into Ulrich and Odd's room, around 7:15, only to see them all laughing and having a good time. She was glad.

"So, what's the news?" Ulrich asked.

"Well, you better start packing," Yumi said. "We have mats to sleep on but you'll need clothes for tomorrow and pajamas and a pillow and a blanket, if you want."

"Oh, I love sleepovers," Aelita said. "Wait, I've never actually been to one, but I'm sure I'll like it."

"We'll all head over to my house after the group thing is over in the Gym. Then we'll watch like the scariest movie ever made and we can eat popcorn and candy. Oh, and during the middle of the night we can do pranks on my brother or each other. It'll be a blast. The only thing is, we won't be eating breakfast at my house and, Ulrich, Odd, be on your best behavior. My dad's not that comfortable with you guys sleeping over. Other than that it'll be great!"

"I'm not so sure about this," Ulrich said. "Your dad never liked me."

"Oh, Ulrich, it'll be fine," Odd said. He was already packing. "I'm sure Yumi's dad will warm up to us."

"Ok."

"I'm going to go get ready," Aelita said. "I'm gonna love this!" She ran out of the room."

Forty-Five minutes later they all met in the Gym. Mr. Delmas was in the front with Mrs. Hertz and Jim. Mr. Delmas was explaining how they were to write their name on the top and write no more than 10 names of who they would like in their group for the trip. Jim was passing down papers and kids were filling them out then they would raise their hand and Mrs. Hertz would collect them. Many people were smiling at each other and nodding, others were thinking, others were writing, and even more were waiting for a paper. The group had some similarities and some differences. The group turned their papers in without telling each other who they wrote. Then Odd, Yumi, Ulrich, and Aelita headed back to Odd and Ulrich's room to grab their stuff. Aelita had dropped off her stuff in their room before she went to the Gym.

"Are we ready to go?" Yumi asked. "I don't want to be late!"

"I'm ready," Aelita said and Ulrich echoed, "Me too," followed by Odd's, "Me three!"

"Ok." They walked to Yumi's house with their stuff and Yumi opened the door. They all walked in to Yumi's living room and set their stuff down on the floor. Mrs. Ishiyama had already set out the mats and each claimed one: Ulrich then Yumi then Aelita then Odd.

"Ok, Odd, come with me," Yumi said. "Bring your pajamas." Odd followed Yumi out of the room and to a bathroom on the first floor. She then returned for Ulrich. "Come on, Ulrich, you can use the one upstairs," she said and led him up the stairs and to a bedroom.

"This isn't the bathroom, Yumi. It's a bedroom."

"I know, just when you're through talking use the one across the hall," Yumi said quickly and left. Mr. Ishiyama then entered the room.

"So, Ulrich, how are you?" he asked.

"Fine."

"Good, I'm glad to see you're doing well." Mrs. Ishiyama entered the room.

"Nice to see you, Ulrich."

"Hello, Mrs. Ishiyama, you two want to talk to me?" he asked.

"Ulrich, my daughter seems to be close to you, and I hope you are nothing more. You are friends, are you not?" Mr. Ishiyama asked.

Ulrich started to get nervous. "Yes, Sir, I'm Yumi's friend. I'd never do anything to hurt her in any way."

"Good. You have good grades I presume, and are a well behaved student?" he asked.

"My grades are fair, and I never get into any trouble at school," Ulrich said. "I guess, I'm not the smartest in my classes, but I don't fail either."

"That's all we ask, Ulrich," Mrs. Ishiyama said and walked over to him. She walked him to the door. After she was out of her husband's hearing range, she leaned close to Ulrich. "Ulrich, tell me the truth. Is something going on between you and my daughter?"

"Mrs. Ishiyama, I don't know what you're asking."

"Are you dating?"

"Um… don't tell Mr. Ishiyama but, Yeah," he said kind of nervous.

"Oh, Ulrich, I knew it. You are such a sweet boy, too. I know my daughter is happy with you," she said and gave Ulrich a hug.

"Thanks, Mrs. Ishiyama. Now, where can I find you're bathroom?" Ulrich asked.

"Oh, it's right over there," she said pointing to a door near the end of the hall. "Oh, and don't tell Yumi that I know."

Ulrich walked into the bathroom and changed as Yumi brought Odd upstairs to talk. "Um… Odd, just go in that room and when you're finished come back downstairs."

"Ok," he said and walked into the room where he was greeted by Mr. and Mrs. Ishiyama.

"Hello, you must be Odd. Yumi has told me about you," Mr. Ishiyama said. "Are you seriously failing?"

"Um… not in all of my classes, I passed a lot. I'm not that bad of a student," he said.

"Oh and I expect you want nothing with my daughter?" Mr. Ishiyama asked.

"What!? Yumi!? Oh, no, Sir, I'm not into Yumi. I'm just her friend. Ask her. Ask Aelita Ask Ulrich. I'm not," Odd said quickly.

"And that's all we ask, Odd. Just, don't let our Yumi get hurt," Mrs. Ishiyama said and walked him to the door. Once she closed the door she leaned in toward Odd. "You really are just a friend. Just keep an eye on Ulrich, don't let him do anything stupid with my daughter."

"You know?"

"Yes, Odd. Just watch him. I don't want anything to happen. I trust Ulrich, but I don't want to take any chances," she said at sent him on his way, just as Ulrich came out of the bathroom.

"She talked to you, too," Ulrich asked Odd on the stairs.

"Yup. It was ok, though. She likes me."

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	5. Nighty Night

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**No Matter What They Say**

**Chapter 5: Nighty Night**

"So, I hope that wasn't too much of a pain," Yumi said as Ulrich and Odd came down the stairs in their pajamas.

"Not a problem," Odd said and sat down on his mat.

"No problem," Ulrich said. He couldn't help but notice Yumi's pajamas: a white tank top and black pajama pants. It wasn't unusual. It just showed off her chest. He tried not to stare, and sat down on his mat.

"Good," Yumi said and sat next to him on her mat. "My dad can be pretty harsh. I just didn't know how he would act." She smiled at him. Ulrich looked away. Yumi blushed slightly.

Aelita then came out of the bathroom. She had on her new pajamas. Odd had never seen these, and tried not to stare. She wore pink capris with lace on the bottom, and a pink three quarters length top. There was only one small thing, it was a v neck. Not just a small one. "Ok, are we going to start the movie?" she asked sitting next to Yumi and Odd on her mat.

"Yeah," Yumi said and put in the DVD. She then got up and turned out the light. The next three and a half hours were spent in the dark on their mats. Odd only screamed a few times, while Aelita screamed at a slight bit of movement and would hide under her blanket, barely peeking over not to miss the movie. Every once and a while Yumi would scream. Ulrich jumped but never really screamed. Once around halfway through the movie, Yumi screamed and grabbed Ulrich, only to blush and let go. At that same moment Aelita screamed and grabbed Odd, and let go quickly, realizing what happened. Yumi ended up grabbing Ulrich's arm for half the movie. When the movie ended they all stared at the screen in horror and awe. Yumi was holding Ulrich's arm and Aelita was barely peeking over her blanket. Odd just sat there mesmerized. The credits came on and the scary music came on with them. Yumi hit the off button and turned toward Odd and Aelita who looked at her. "Scariest movie ever."

Aelita nodded and Odd stared at her blankly.

"That was awesome," Ulrich said. "I'll be scared of make up for like forever. Who knew girls could be that jealous. 'Be mine or die!' Just like Sissi."

Aelita nodded. "Yeah," Yumi said. "I knew I never liked those girls."

Yumi got up and went to the door way and slid the doors together to close them. She then went back to her mat and lied down.

"Aelita, can you make sure Odd's ok?" Ulrich said. Aelita turned around toward Odd.

"Odd. Hello-o?" Aelita said to him and waved her hand past his face. "Odd?" He didn't respond. "Odd?" She poked him. Nothing happened. "Hello? Odd?" She poked him again. He just sat there. Then he jumped out at her making Yumi, Ulrich, and Aelita scream. "Don't do that!" she yelled. "You almost gave me a heart attack." Aelita pushed him over.

"Oh, come on I had to do it!" Odd said and sat back up and pushed Aelita over, laughing.

"Odd!" Ulrich said and lied down letting his heart stop throbbing. Yumi lied down as well. Then Aelita and Odd lied down. Odd felt something strange on the side of his leg. He was just about to move it when he realized it was Aelita's hand. He rolled over onto his side and faced the others.

"So, what do girls usually talk about at slumber parties?" Aelita asked.

"Well, we don't have to do what girls do. I don't think Ulrich or Odd want to talk about guys who they think are cute. I also don't think they want to paint nails or do hair," Yumi said.

"Not really," Ulrich said and grabbed Yumi by the waist.

Yumi sighed and leaned into his arms.

------m------

"Hey, Johnny," Hiroki said, turning to look at his friend. "I wonder what my sister's doing. She said she had friends coming over."

"Hiroki, what are you thinking," Johnny asked as Hiroki got up and walked toward the door of his room.

"Oh, I was just going to get a look at what they're doing," Hiroki said and opened the door. "You coming or what?"

"Definitely!" he said and got up and followed Hiroki out the door and to the steps. They slowly crept down the steps and went toward the door to the living room.

"The door's shut. If I open it they'll hear us. Just listen," Hiroki whispered and put his ear up to the door. Johnny did the same thing.

"Yumi, I'm glad we did this. It's great to spend time away from school to just hang with friends," Ulrich said.

"Oh, it was nothing. I always like hanging out with you guys," Yumi replied.

"That's Ulrich," Johnny said a little too loud.

"SHHH!"

"Odd. Um, I have been thinking about what you said. I'm not sure how to answer," Aelita said.

"What did you say?" Yumi asked Odd.

"It's just between Odd and me, unless he wants to tell you," Aelita said.

"So, Odd, Yumi, Aelita, and Ulrich are all in there," Hiroki said to Johnny. "I knew Ulrich should be her boyfriend."

"I thought I had a chance with Yumi," Johnny said turning toward Hiroki. "Don't I?"

"Sorry, Johnny, but you're no match for Ulrich," Hiroki said and backed away from the door. "Let's go, this is all boring." Johnny nodded and they left.

------m------

"Aelita, you don't have to answer me now. I just want to know when you know," Odd said and grabbed her hand.

"Odd, what did you say?" Ulrich asked although he thought he knew.

"Um…Ulrich I know were good buddies and all, but I rather keep this between me and Aelita, if you don't mind," he replied. Aelita took her hand away.

"Oh, that's fine. Hey, Yumi," Ulrich said looking at her. She turned around. "I think we've got some catching up to do tonight."

"What do you mean? Ohhhh," Yumi said and wrapped his hands around her waist and put her hands around his waist.

"Love birds," Odd muttered. Aelita started to laugh.

"Good night," Aelita said and turned on her side to go to sleep. She yawned.

"Good night," Ulrich and Yumi said.

"Nighty night, everyone," Odd said and turned toward Aelita to go to sleep. Aelita already had her eyes closed. He kissed her on the forehead and closed his eyes to go to bed. Aelita opened her eyes and looked at him next to her. The thought in her head was, _Do I like Odd, just as a friend, do I like him more than a friend, or do I love him?_

Yumi was already wrapped tightly around Ulrich and Ulrich kept her around him. The room was dark and Yumi couldn't help it, she loved Ulrich, she kissed him and before long Ulrich was kissing back. After a while, Yumi pulled away and looked at the doorway, where she thought she saw a shadow a minute earlier. Her brother was standing there in his pajamas with Johnny. Hiroki mouthed five words to his sister and Yumi smiled and fell asleep. _I knew you loved Ulrich._ Ulrich had no clue what had happened and fell asleep.

"Odd," Aelita whispered in the middle of the night. "Odd."

Odd woke up and looked at Aelita. "Yeah, what's wrong, princess? Did something happen?"

"Oh, Odd," Aelita said and wrapped her arms around him. Odd gently rubbed her back.

"Princess, what's the matter?" Odd asked softly. "Did I do something? Aelita, you can tell me."

"Oh, Odd, it was awful. I had this horrible dream. Jeremie-Jeremie was…" she cut off. She started to cry.

"Oh, Aelita, you've been through a lot," Odd said and turned to lie on his back. Aelita then moved to lie on top of him on top of him. Her breasts lying on his chest. Her hair lying in his face. Her warmth against his warmth. He grabbed a blanket and put it on top of both of them and started to rub her back again. He was underneath her, and she was on top of him, yet she didn't seem to care. She didn't even care that it was Odd she was on. She scrunched up her legs like a little kid would to be in their parent's lap. Odd sat up and carried her in a cradle carry toward a wall so he could lean up against it and have Aelita in his lap. He didn't care that he wasn't sleeping.

After about five minutes Aelita started to talk. "Odd, in this dream Jeremie was just horrible. I mean he was evil almost," she said and looked at him. _This is the guy who stays up with me when I'm afraid. This is the guy who comforts me when I need it. This is the guy who has saved me many times on Lyoko. This is the guy who won't let anyone hurt me. This is the guy who loves me. _"I'm afraid, Odd. What if Jeremie is really like that?"

"Aelita, Jeremie would never be mean to you. Maybe rude or inconsiderate, but not down right mean. You know you and Jeremie will make up soon. I know it," Odd said. Then he picked up Aelita and brought her over to her mat again. "Jeremie loves you, Aelita."

"No, Odd, that's where you're wrong. Jeremie might like me a lot, but he doesn't love me," she said. "You love me, Odd, not Jeremie."

"Yeah, I do love you, don't forget that."

"Odd, I'm just I-I like you a lot," Aelita started.

"Yeah, you just don't know if you love me. I understand," Odd said. "You've always loved Jeremie now you have to choose. Don't make it too hard on yourself. I'll still love you if you don't love me."

"Odd, I can't do this," she said starting to cry. "I know you love me way more than Jeremie ever will. Why? Why am I so different than all the other girls?"

"Aelita, it's just, I feel, I don't know, good around you. I feel like there's something there that wasn't there before," he said. She looked at him. Her eyes were twinkling with tears ready to fall down her cheeks.

"Odd, I'm afraid."

"Don't be," he said and pulled her near, but she pulled away.

"Not like that." Odd looked confused. "Odd, I'm afraid…about…well…love." Odd looked her in the eyes. Her eyes showed it. "I'm afraid I don't love Jeremie. I'm afraid that I might love Jeremie but if I stay with him and realize I don't, I might miss out on a really great person." She smiled at him and he smiled back. "I'm also afraid that if I love you, Jeremie will hate me. I-I-I'm afr-raid if I think I love you and I don't, Jeremie won't love me either and I-I'll be lonely with no one." A single tear rolled down her face.

"Aelita, I can't tell you what to do, but I'll give you this advice," Odd said. Aelita looked at him, and couldn't stand it anymore. She wrapped her arms around his neck. He rubbed her back. "I'll wait for you to decide. I'll wait for you to find out who you love. I'll wait. Don't be afraid if you choose Jeremie and realize you don't love him. He won't be mad, and I'll be waiting. And if you choose him, I'll be happy for you both, because Jeremie will have the greatest girl I've met, as a girlfriend." He pulled her off him and smiled. She stood up and walked out of the room into the bathroom. Odd was going to go after her but Ulrich saw him and stopped him, so Odd went back to lie down on his mat, and he fell asleep.

------m------

Aelita grabbed a tissue and went back out of the bathroom, about to enter the living room, but she decided not too. She sat on the floor right outside their bathroom. She heard footsteps and thought it must be Odd, so she stood up and wiped her eyes. "What do you want?"

"Ahh, you nearly gave me a heart attack," someone said from behind.

"You're not Odd," Aelita said and turned around. She looked and saw Hiroki and Johnny coming down the hall. "Oh, Hiroki, I'm sorry. I thought you were Odd."

Hiroki could tell she'd been crying. Even in the dark, her eyes were still a red color. "Um…Aelita, is something wrong? Did someone hurt you? Was it Odd, because I could tell my parents and-."

"No," she said cutting him off. "It's nothing. I'm fine, really." She sat back down on the floor.

"You don't look fine," Johnny said as he and Hiroki sat down on both sides of her. "Are you sure nothing's wrong?"

"I'm fine. Leave me alone!" she yelled and put her face in her hands. Johnny got up.

"Come on, Hiroki. She wants to be alone," he said.

"Aelita," Hiroki said and turn her toward him. She barely lifted her head. "I know something's wrong. I want to help."

"Oh, Hiroki, if only you knew. You can't help," Aelita said quickly.

"Aelita, I can. Just give me a chance. Just because I'm not big doesn't mean I can't help," he said. "Just tell me."

"Hiroki, you can't help, and it's not because you're young. The thing is, you can't decide for me," she said.

"What is it?" he asked. He grabbed her hands. "I can help."

"Hiroki, you can't!"

"I can!"

"No, Hiroki, you can't help me!"

"Why not?!"

"Because the problem is I'm in love with two people, I think," she said and started crying. She grabbed him in to a hug and cried.

"Oh, Aelita," he said and rubbed her back awkwardly. He mouthed to Johnny. _What do I do now?_ Johnny looked at him and mouthed back. _Ask her why she thinks she loves them both. Then you can help he decide which is the better person._ Hiroki gave him a thumbs up and pulled out of the hug.

"I'm so sorry. I just sometimes get that way," she said quickly.

"Why do you think you're in love with two people?" Hiroki asked.

"I've always loved Jeremie, but Odd's always been there for me. Then Jeremie hurt me, and insulted me. Then Odd was there for me again. But Odd was always just a friend. Now he says he loves me. And Jeremie won't admit he loves me, and that means he doesn't. Oh, I just don't know what to do," Aelita said.

"I think Odd sounds like the better person, but if I were you I'd give Jeremie another shot, or follow your heart," Hiroki said and got up. He also reached down and helped Aelita up as well.

"Thanks, Hiroki," she said. "You give great advice. Oh, and I'd think you'd be a great boyfriend. I think you've got a shot with Milly."

"Really?" he asked perking up.

"Really," she said then bent down and kissed him on the cheek. "Thanks, goodnight." She walked back into the living room.

"Nighty-night," Hiroki said and headed up the stairs with Johnny. "Your advice worked. Thanks."

"No problem," Johnny said. "I just wish I had a shot with Yumi. You're always lucky. You get Ulrich as your sister's boyfriend and now you get a shot with Milly. It's not fair!"

"Good night, Johnny."

"Night."

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	6. Bruises

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**No Matter What They Say**

**Chapter 6: Bruises**

The next morning Mrs. Ishiyama came to wake everyone up at 5:45. It was a good thing too, because she already knew Ulrich liked Yumi and they were latched onto each other. She gently nudged Ulrich and he woke up, blushed, and moved away from Yumi. Then she went over and nudged Odd, who woke up and fell right back to sleep. She went over to Aelita and put her hand on her shoulder and she woke up so quickly she woke Odd and Yumi up. Mrs. Ishiyama laughed slightly and left the room. Yumi and Aelita stayed downstairs and the boys went upstairs to change.

"Aelita, was everything ok last night? Did you have any problems?" Yumi asked as she got dressed.

"Um…it was fine. No worse than any other night," she said and left to go back to the living room. "It was actually fun. Well, mostly."

"Mostly?" Yumi asked following her out of the room.

"Yeah, mostly."

"Ok."

"Are you descent?" Ulrich asked from the stairs.

"It depends on what you think descent is," Odd said quickly. "Some people aren't descent a day in there life!"

"Odd!" Aelita yelled. "Come on in, Ulrich."

"Odd, you can be so strange!" Yumi said as Odd and Ulrich walked in.

"Yumi, that's my job. If I wasn't strange I would just be stupid and hungry!" Odd said and flipped onto his hands and started to walk on them.

"Odd, you are stupid and hungry!" Ulrich said as Aelita and Yumi started to laugh. Odd fell down from his hands.

"Not funny, Ulrich!"

"Um…yeah it is!" Aelita said in between laughing.

Odd scowled but ended up laughing at himself.

------m------

At around 7:15 the gang met in the cafeteria to eat breakfast. Everyone was laughing as Aelita came and sat down last.

"Um… don't look too quickly but here comes Einstein," Ulrich said looking down at his plate. Jeremie walked over and sat next to Ulrich, across from Yumi.

"Hi, guys. You know, I've been thinking lately and I'm really sorry, Aelita. I really wanted to make it to the recording session, but I just forgot," he started.

"Jeremie, it was a music video shot and I'm not mad at you about that. Thanks for caring though. If you don't even know why I'm mad, just don't apologize," Aelita said looking at her plate the whole time.

"Well, I'm sorry for not knowing," he said a little bit sarcastically.

"Jeremie, just stop. Really, just stop." Aelita got up. "I'll see you later." Then she walked out of the room.

"Um…what just happened?" Jeremie asked the others.

"What just happened? What just happened? Aelita's walking off mad and you ask, 'What just happened?'" Odd almost yelled. "Jeremie, she got over the fact you didn't make it a long time ago! She's mad at you for something else now, if you haven't noticed." Odd started to get up, but looked back for a second. "Oh, and I'd find out what it is and apologize soon or you'll be seeing a lot less of Aelita happy and a lot more of her sad or mad. Oh, and do it quickly. The trip is tomorrow!" Then Odd left.

Jeremie looked at Yumi and Ulrich. "I know you know what she's mad about. Please, tell me! I've got to make it up to her!"

"Jeremie, part of apologizing if admitting you were wrong, and realizing you did something wrong," Yumi said. "If you don't know what you did wrong, you'd better think. We can't help you."

"But, what did I do?!" Jeremie asked. "I can't remember at all!"

"I'll give you a tip, Jeremie. You might have hurt one of her friends, or hurt her," Ulrich said. "I already know what you did. You have to remember what you did to hurt her or someone around her."

"You mean, if I got mad at Odd, Aelita might have gotten mad?"

"Bingo!"

"Oh, great! She'll never forgive me!"

"Oh, Jeremie," Yumi started, "you just have to be sincere and apologize for everything. She'll forgive you."

"Oh great. I've got to go think what to say!" Jeremie said and picked up his tray and left.

"He's clueless!" Yumi said and slapped her forehead.

------m------

Odd's Pov

I was walking down the hallway towards my room. I walked past all the other doors and entered my room. I was about to start packing for the trip, but Aelita was sitting on my bed. I walked over to her after closing the door.

"Um…is there something I can do for you?" I asked awkwardly wondering why she came here in the first place.

"Um…yeah, Odd, you can. Can I talk to you? I mean just talk. Nothing special. I just want to talk, without any interruptions. Is that ok?" she asked me looking awkward. "Because…if it's not, I could just leave or-."

I cut her off, "Aelita, it's fine, as long as I can pack while you talk. Is that ok?" I asked.

"Um…oh, sure, it's fine. Pack all you want. I just need someone to listen."

"I'm there for you!" I got out my suitcase and started to pack as Aelita started to talk.

"Well, Odd, I've been thinking about the trip, and I'm wondering what will I do, or we do for that matter, if Jeremie happens to be in our group? I mean there is no way I want to spend two months in a resort if I have to spend it in the same group as someone as inconsiderate as him. There is no way that is even possible. What will I do? I'll go nuts!" She started. "Jeremie probably doesn't even know why I'm mad at him. He's such an idiot at these types of things. I mean he hurt me, and he doesn't even know why to apologize!"

"Wait? He hurt you!"

"Yea, didn't Ulrich tell you?" she started up again. "Jeremie grabbed the sides of my arms and shook me asking me who I liked, you or him. I had to yell at him saying that he was hurting me! He still wouldn't stop. Ulrich had to come in. Jeremie kind of dropped me on the floor when Ulrich came in! It was a good thing he came in too! Who knows what Jeremie would have done next?!" She was pacing trying to keep cool. I could tell she was about to cry.

"Aelita," I said turning around. "If he hurt you like that, I need to go talk to him. If he physically hurt you, he needs to be straitened out!" I started to walk to the door but she stepped in the way blocking my path, her arms spread out.

"Odd, you said you'd listen. Now, listen to me!" She said looking me straight in the eye. "If you leave this room just to hurt someone that makes you just as bad as Jeremie!"

"But, Aelita, he did that to you and you don't even want me to talk to him!" I persisted. I grabbed her arms and started to move them away from the door. She started wincing. I stopped.

"Ow," she said so soft I could hardly hear her.

"Aelita, let me see your arms," I said. "How long has it been since he did that?"

"Oh, Odd, It's not that bad, really," she said quickly. "It was yesterday, but I'm fine, really." She walked over to my bed and sat down. I followed her and stood in front of her.

"Aelita, show me your arms," I said in a demand. "Either you show me, or I'll take you to the infirmary and you'll show the nurse. What will it be?"

"Ok, fine. But, I can't roll up these sleeves, so I'll need to change before so I'll go and come back and-." She started to leave.

"No," I said and blocked the door. "You can change into one of my shirts then roll up the sleeves. If you leave you won't come back."

"Fine, but don't look," she said.

I tossed her a shirt and faced the wall. After a few minutes she said I could turn around. I turned around and she was wearing the shirt with the sleeves still rolled down. I walked over to her and she sat down on the bed. I went down on one knee so I was still in front of her, but I was at her level. "Ok, tell me if this hurts, because I don't want to hurt you," I said quickly as I started to grab her sleeve.

"Ok, I trust you," she said and I started to roll up her right sleeve. I thought I would see a bruise but I never expected what I saw. The whole top half of her arm was a bruise. It wasn't even light. It was blue, almost purple, and it was about the size of my palm.

"He must have squeezed hard to make this type of a bruise. No wonder it hurt when I touched it. Wait why didn't it hurt when I was carrying you? Or when you scooted on top of me last night?" I asked.

"Um…It did. I didn't want to tell anyone. Plus, I was already crying so it didn't matter," she said and started to roll down the sleeve.

I rolled up the other sleeve. It was worse. It was a bit bigger. I knew why. It was made by Jeremie's right hand and that was his stronger hand.

"Aelita, you need to do something about those," I said and rolled down the sleeve. The shirt was sagging on her. She looked like she felt uncomfortable that I was looking at her.

"Odd, I'm fine. They'll heal on their own. As long as no one touches them, I'll be fine," She said. "Plus…th-they don't hurt that bad."

"Oh, yea. Well watch this," I said and poked her arm very lightly. A tear came to her eye and she bit her lip.

"It did-dn't hurt," she said.

"Aelita, I know it did. You don't have to pretend," I said and got up and sat next to her. "You can rub it."

"Good," she said and started to rub her arms. "I can't help it. They hurt so much."

"I know. You need to rest. Change back and take a nap in my bed. As soon as I'm finished packing I'll wake you up," I said and turned my back to her. She finished soon enough and fell asleep.

------m------

End Pov

Odd started to pack again and after about 45 minutes of packing he was finished. He then went over to where Aelita was sleeping in his bed. He lightly touched her waist, trying not to scare her and trying to touch her arms. She woke up slowly and sat up.

"Oh, are you finished already?" Aelita asked.

"Yeah," Odd replied and pointed to his suitcase. "Are you finished packing?"

"No, I better go do that!" she said and left. She turned around in the doorway. "Oh, thanks! I really like what you've done for me. You're great," she said then left.

"You're welcome!" Odd replied and left in search for Ulrich. It was a shock he didn't barge in as they were talking. It didn't take long. Ulrich and Yumi were coming up the stairs as he was going down.

"Odd, we've got to tell you something," Yumi said quickly. "They put up the lists for groups!"

"Oh, where?" he said kind of nervous.

"Who cares?! We already know who's in our group!" Yumi said.

"Well, who is it then?" he asked.

"We're all in the same group," Ulrich said. "All of us. And you'll never guess who all of us are."

"Sissi must have put Ulrich on the list!" Yumi said, "because in our group we have: You, me, Ulrich, Aelita, William, _Jeremie_, and Sissi. I can't believe it!"

"Great, just great! We all have to have an enemy in the same group!" Odd said quickly. "Why! Why! I just don't get it!"

"What do you mean?" Ulrich asked.

"Well, Aelita and I don't like Jeremie right now, and you and Yumi don't like Sissi! William is fine, but he's such a hassle! I just hope we don't always have to be with everyone in our group!"

"Oh, Odd," Yumi started, "you'll get over it!"

"I hope so, but I doubt it!"

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	7. Love, A Cornicopia of Nothin' Good

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**No Matter What They Say**

**Chapter 7: Love, a cornucopia of nothin' good**

Jeremie was in his room, packing and thinking. He stopped for a minute and sat down on his bed. "What will I do?" he asked himself. "I can't find all the things to apologize for and the trip's tomorrow." He put his head in his hands. _Ok, I made fun of Odd for being in her room. I pressured Aelita into saying who she liked and ended up hurting her. I got in a fight with Odd about her._ He thought of everything. "Oh, this is just great! I've done too many things to hurt her. She'll never forgive me!" Jeremie got up and went back to packing. After finishing he started to head over to Aelita's room. He knocked on her door and no one answered.

"This is just great! She's not there," Jeremie said and turned around to leave, when the door opened.

"Um…what do you want?" Aelita answered opening the door. It was just open a small crack.

"Oh, Aelita!" Jeremie said turning back around. She opened it a bit more. "I came to apologize!"

"Save it!" she yelled. "Now if you'll excuse me, I've got packing to do!" She started to close the door, but Jeremie grabbed the door and held it open.

"Aelita, give me five minutes. Just five and I'll leave! I just came to apologize. When five minutes is up, I'll leave! I promise," he begged.

"Fine! Five minutes and no more! Then you'll leave! And if I don't like the question or the apology, I won't answer!"

"Fair enough!" he replied quickly and entered.

"Now, start talking!"

Jeremie took one of her hands and started to talk, but she pulled her hand away. "Oh, Aelita, I'm so sorry! I was jealous of Odd! I really didn't mean to hurt you! I didn't want to fight Odd, it just sorta happened. I didn't no what to think when I saw Odd in your room. I thought you guys were doing something."

"Jeremie! I would never! Odd wouldn't ever do that to me!" Aelita yelled. "How could you ever think that?!"

"Well, Odd, naturally, is the one who would be most apt to do that. Plus, he has had so many girlfriends you can't even count them all!"

"I'm different! Jeremie, he loves me! He won't do that! You must think he's some kind of perv."

"Aelita, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to, I mean I just…sorta…jumped to conclusions. Won't you forgive me?" he asked sincerely.

"Jeremie, you're five minutes are up!" Aelita said and started to push him out. "I'll talk to you later!"

"Won't you forgive me?"

"Jeremie, I don't know! I don't know!" Aelita said and pushed him out. "Now, goodbye." Then she closed the door, leaned her back against it, and started crying. After a few minutes, she wiped her eyes and stood up.

"He did apologize, and I do need to be happy on the trip, but he did hurt me," Aelita said to herself as she went back to packing. "Odd said he'd wait for me if I realized I didn't love Jeremie. Hiroki did say I should give Jeremie one more chance. That's it!" She threw the shirt she was holding down and stood up. "I'll go forgive him right now!" She opened the door and ran out toward Jeremie's room.

------m------

Odd, Yumi, and Ulrich were sitting in Odd and Ulrich's room. Odd was slumped over, not really being himself, and Yumi and Ulrich were just talking. They asked Odd a few questions now and then but he didn't really respond.

"Odd, come with me. I know what you need," Yumi said and grabbed his hand. Ulrich sort of tensed up and Yumi noticed and smiled at him. "It'll only be for a while."

Ulrich relaxed a bit and Yumi dragged Odd out of the room.

After the door closed Yumi started to talk. "Odd, girls are weird subjects. Boys never understand us. Heck, girls hardly understand girls! " Odd smiled a bit, but it was short lived. "Anyway. There are many types of girls. I'm sure you've noticed, since you've gone out with so many. Ok, anyway. There are your basic preppy, stupid girls that think their all that. Take Sissi for example. She's your basic, 'I think I could date anyone I want but I really can't' girl. Then there are your smart girls that don't do anything really except school, yet hang out with guys as friends. Um…Emilie and maybe Aelita would fall in that category. Then…"

"Wait, could you slow down. Tell me why I need to know this?" Odd asked confused.

"Um…I thought you could use a few tips, if you wanted. You don't have to…"

"Yumi, could I ask you something…uh…kinda…personal?" Odd asked awkwardly.

"Um…sure I guess. What is it?" Yumi asked.

"How did you know you loved Ulrich? Or…let me put it this way…um how can you tell if Ulrich liked? No…that's not it. Um…how did you know that-? No. How can you tell if-?"

"How can you tell if Aelita loves you or Jeremie? Is that it?" Yumi asked getting to the point.

"Um…yeah. Girls are always so weird. Guys want to know before they start asking them out. I finally just gave up and asked out everyone. Well…not at the same time! You know what I mean!"

Yumi laughed. "Yeah, I know what you mean. Anyway. Um…Odd." Yumi paused and put her arm around his shoulder. "With girls, sometimes they don't even know. The thing is…a girl's eyes always tell. Look at her and look at the way she looks at you and then look at the way she looks at Jeremie. You'll be able to tell, unless she doesn't know herself. If she says she doesn't know and the eyes say something different, she can't believe she loves that person."

"Yumi, thanks, I'm…uh…really…thanks," Odd said and she took her arm off his shoulder and he walked towards Aelita's room.

"No problem," Yumi replied and headed back to Ulrich and Odd's dorm. _He seriously loves her. I just hope she doesn't crush his heart. Though, I do want Aelita to be happy. And I think as long as Aelita is happy, Odd will be happy._

------m------

Aelita finally got to Jeremie's room and was about to knock on the door when Odd passed and stopped in front of her.

"Hey, Princess, I wondered if I could talk to you. Can I, or are you busy?" Odd asked awkwardly. He tried to look in her eyes but didn't want to make it look to obvious.

"Um…Odd, I wanted to talk to you. I well, I'm going to make up with Jeremie," she said pretty straightforward.

"Oh, that's great."

"Really? Are you sure? You're not mad or anything? Jeremie just apologized a while ago and I thought I'd forgive him. It was a great apology too."

"Aelita, why would I be mad that you're forgiving Jeremie? I want you guys to be friends. I want to be friends with Jeremie. He's just…well…I'm happy that you two will be friends," Odd said and smiled. He looked deep into her eyes. _Is that a spark? Is that what Yumi was talking about? _

"Oh, Odd, you're great!" Aelita said and hugged him. That is the exact moment that Jeremie opened his door.

"I wondered what was happening out here," he said and they quickly drew apart.

"Oh. Jeremie, it's not what you think," Aelita said. "I came here to forgive you. I'm sorry I've held a grudge this long and I'm so happy that you apologized."

"Look, I apologize for everything, and you hug Odd right outside my room. It took a lot of nerve to do something like that!" Jeremie yelled and stormed back in his room about to slam the door behind him. Odd caught the door and held it open.

"Jeremie, it's true. She came over here to forgive you," Odd said and walked in.

"Jeremie, don't you believe me? I was trying to be kind. Odd's done a lot for me and all I do is hug him for all his kindness and now you're jealous of Odd!" Aelita yelled and walked in after him. "You never understand these things!"

"Is that what this is all about?" Odd asked. "All I did was hug her. I'm sorry if that's such a crime!"

"Odd, you just want her for yourself! You've always wanted her!" Jeremie yelled.

"It's not like that!" Aelita screamed and got their attention. "It's not like that at all!" She ran over next to Jeremie and looked him in the eyes. Odd tried to see how she was looking at him, but he was pretty sure this wouldn't count because they were mad at each other.

"Well, it is now! Odd, you want her, you can have her!" Jeremie yelled and almost threw Aelita towards Odd. Then he pushed them both out the door. Aelita was crying and Odd was comforting her.

"You son of a bitch! You hurt her once, now again! I can't believe you would do this! The Jeremie I knew would be begging for forgiveness from Aelita! Not giving her bruises!" Odd yelled at Jeremie and Jeremie slammed the door in his face.

"Odd, please, let me go. I want to go home!" Aelita yelled and struggled to be freed.

"I'm sorry, Princess, but there's no other way. You'll forgive me later," Odd said and grabbed Aelita around the waist and hoisted her over his shoulder, carrying her towards his room.

"Put me down! Stop it! I'm warning you!" Aelita yelled and flailed her arms and kicked her legs.

"I can't put you down or you'll run away and hurt yourself. Boy, are you heavy. Either you need to go on a diet or I need to work out!"

"Not funny! Now, put me down! I hate you! I hate you!" she yelled.

"No you don't. Now, keep quiet!" Odd said and walked into his room. Instantly, Yumi and Ulrich jumped up ready to fight. Odd closed the door and turned around.

"Put, Aelita down!" Ulrich yelled and he and Yumi kicked Odd in the stomach. Odd doubled over and Aelita fell, but jumped up quickly and headed for the door. Odd grabbed her just in time before she left.

"I'm not Xana!" Odd yelled. "Stop and help me keep Aelita here."

"Wait, how do we know you're not Xana?! Aelita wouldn't be struggling to get away from you, if you were Odd!" Yumi said.

"Yumi, you know it's me! Help me. Aelita's gonna go kill herself!" Odd shouted and pinned Aelita to the ground.

"Odd, get…off…me!" she yelled. "I want to go home," she whispered and gave up. She started crying again. Odd got up and helped Aelita up. She hugged him around the waist.

"Aelita, I know how you feel. Everyone wants to go home, and have everything feel better, but you can't go home. I'm sorry to say this but you don't have a home to go to," Odd said sympathetically. That's when Aelita gave up. She didn't use any energy at all. She let herself fall from Odd's arms on to the floor. She broke down and started to cry on the floor. Nothing seamed to bother her. It seamed as if no one was there. Odd stared at Yumi then Ulrich. Then he looked at Aelita lying on the floor. Yumi patted Ulrich on the shoulder and they walked over to Odd and walked out of the room.

"We can't leave her like that for long. She might hurt herself," Odd said quickly. "We need to take her to her room, and then…"

"Shh. Odd, we're sorry. We thought you were possessed by Xana. We should have known better," Yumi said.

"Odd, why did you have to carry her in like that, anyway?" Ulrich asked. "Start from the beginning."

"Well…after Yumi left I went to talk to Aelita and I found her in front of Jeremie's door and I asked her what she was doing. Ok, so she says she was gonna forgive him. So, I say that's great and I'm glad you can forgive him. So, she says oh, Odd your great and hugs me. And at that same moment Jeremie opens the door. He then gets confused and says I apologized for everything, and you hug Odd right outside my room. It took a lot of nerve to do something like that. We tried to convince him it's not like that and Aelita was here to apologize, but he wouldn't listen. So he gets mad at Aelita. And Aelita says don't you believe me? Odd's done a lot for me and all I do is hug him for all his kindness and now you're jealous of Odd. You never understand these things. And I say is that what this is about and apologize to him for hugging her. Then Jeremie yells at me saying you just want her for yourself. Aelita says it's not like that. Then Jeremie says it is now. If you want her you can have her and almost threw her at me and pushed us out the door. Aelita started crying and it was because he hurt her both ways. She has bruises from where she's hurt. Then I yelled at him saying you hurt her once, now again. The Jeremie I knew would be begging for forgiveness from Aelita! Not giving her bruises. And he slammed the door in my face. Aelita then asked me to let her go, but I knew she'd hurt herself like last time, so I said there is no other way and lifted her over my shoulder and brought her here. She yelled at me the entire way, but I knew I was doing it for her own good." Odd finished and Yumi and Ulrich looked at each other.

"Wow, Odd. Is that true?" Ulrich asked. "Did he really give her bruises when she got in that fight with Jeremie the other day?"

"Yeah, and not the small ones either. They're huge," Odd said.

"I feel so sorry for her," Yumi said and almost started crying herself. "She doesn't need to go through this. Odd, you're always such a great person."

"I need to get back to Aelita," he said and went back in the room.

"Ok, we'll be in in a little while," Yumi said and Odd nodded and shut the door. "Ok that's dedication!"

"He loves her more than all the past girls combined," Ulrich said. "Who would have thought Odd and Aelita would get together?"

"The only thing I'm worried about is if Aelita loves him. He definitely loves her. We all know that, but we don't know if she loves him."

------m------

"Aelita, are you ok?" Odd asked sitting on the floor next to where she was lying down.

"Ok? Ok? I'm crying my guts out and you ask if I'm ok? I'm wonderful Odd!" Aelita said and sat up. "I'm great compared to what Jeremie is. I know I've been hurt and all, but it doesn't matter. Really. You know, I feel sorry for him. I'm a really great person, thanks to you, that he just threw away. I'll never go back. I'm never going to think of loving him that way again. He's always too busy for love. And you know what? I'm happy."

"That's a switch. I feel awful," Odd said. "I just started a feud between my friends. Who would do that?"

"Oh, Odd, don't feel bad. You've been great. I can finally say I know I'll have a great time on the trip. There's just one thing," she said.

"What is it?"

"After today, even through everything, I still don't know who I love," Aelita said. Odd looked into her eyes at that very moment, and he saw something different the something Yumi was talking about. It was a shine in her eyes that was bright. Aelita loved Odd, but she couldn't believe she was in love.

"It's ok. Let's go to lunch."

"Sounds great."

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	8. Open Your Eyes

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**School comes first!**

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**No Matter What They Say**

**Chapter 8: Open Your Eyes**

Odd, Aelita, Yumi, and Ulrich all headed down to the cafeteria for lunch. Ulrich and Yumi got stopped along the way, and told Aelita and Odd to go on ahead.

"Yumi, this is so hard for me to say, so listen well, cuz I'm not going to repeat myself," Sissi said quickly. "I want this trip to be fun just as much as you do. I know that Ulrich and I," she faked a smile, "won't ever have the same relationship as you and Ulrich. I have learned my lesson. Just, don't leave me out of everything. I won't hang all over him all the time, if you let me at least hang out with him some of the time. Ok? That means if you hog him all to yourself, I am going to take him from you. Yet, I'd like to be friends with both of you. See you later!" She walked away toward her room.

"Was Sissi being nice? Am I dreaming?" Yumi asked wide-eyed.

"If you're dreaming, I'm having the same dream. I never knew she could be a human," Ulrich said and they both walked toward the cafeteria.

By the time they got there, Odd and Aelita had already sat down. "Hey, Yumi, what's with you? Are you in shock or something?" Odd asked. "What has Sissi said something intelligent?" He and Aelita started to laugh.

"Actually, yes. Sissi just was nice to us. I thought she hated us," Yumi said and sat down. "Who knew?"

"I bet she's planning something," Aelita said.

"Yeah, like she's an evil vampire and over in the mountains she'll turn Ulrich into one too! Be mine, or die!" Odd said and hissed, making everyone laugh.

"Odd, I should have never let you see that horror movie. I knew Japanese movies were gonna be too scary for you," Yumi said and laughed.

"Who knew Sissi would be a vampire?" Ulrich said sounding depressed. "I'd much rather her be a human. At least they die."

Yumi elbowed him in the ribs and they all laughed some more. The only thing that ruined their fun was the fact that Sissi, Herve, and Nicholas walked up.

"Mind if we sit down?" Sissi asked. Herve looked angry, and kept staring at Ulrich.

"No, not at all?" Yumi said. It was more of a question.

"What's with her?" Odd whispered to Aelita. "Sissi never sits with us." Aelita nodded and scooted over so Nicholas could sit down.

"Well, anyway, I'd love to sit with you on the bus, Yumi. I'm sure we'd have a lot to talk about," Sissi said and smiled awkwardly.

"Um…I was gonna sit with Ulrich. I mean if you don't mind," Yumi said quickly and smirked.

Sissi just kept smiling and gritted her teeth. "Not at all. I'll just sit with someone else. You can sit with Ulrich," she said.

"You can sit with me, Sissi," Herve said quickly.

"Shut up," Sissi said loosing her cool, then went just back to smiling.

Aelita did all she could to keep herself from laughing. Odd tried his best, but couldn't help it and disguised his laughing as a cough and had to leave for a drink.

"What's wrong with him?" Sissi asked and Aelita couldn't help laughing. Sissi began to eat again and shrugged.

--m--

Odd was right outside the cafeteria doors, cracking up. He tried to calm down, but couldn't help it. Sissi had never been nice before. He looked around, trying to find something to focus on so he could stop laughing. There were a few people still coming to lunch. He stared at a few of the girls, but it wasn't as fun since now his heart was only beating for Aelita. He stopped laughing after a while, but decided not to go back inside and sat down on the concrete. He looked up at the sky. It was a beautiful day. The sun was out with only a few clouds here and there. He started to think about her. The one he new he could probably never be with. They were supposed to be cousins. It could never work out.

"Oh my gosh!" a girl shouted as she burst out of the cafeteria doors and started laughing.

"Oh, hey, Aelita. What did Sissi do now?" Odd asked without really even looking at her.

"You'll never guess! I'm not kidding! Um…wait…are you ok?" Aelita asked confused when he didn't look up at her or anything.

"Oh, yeah. Yeah, I'm fine," Odd said without looking at her again.

"You don't look fine," she said turning and sitting next to him. "Are you sure? You said you felt bad earlier. Don't be. Jeremie is just, oh I don't know, having problems coping with the competition."

"Aelita, I don't want this. Any of this!" Odd yelled at her. He tugged at his hair, messing it all up, and brought his knees to his chest.

"What do you mean any of this? You don't want me?" Aelita asked getting a bit offended and sad at the same time.

"No! Not you. I don't want you and Jeremie to be fighting. I don't want Jeremie to hate me. I don't want you to have bruises. I don't want any of this to be happening!" Odd yelled and put his head on his knees and put his hands over his head.

"But, it is, so you're just going to have to deal with it!" Aelita yelled at him and stood up. "The trip is tomorrow and I want you to have a good time, so go sulk all you want today, but tomorrow, you better be back to normal!"

"Easy for you to say," he whispered under his breath.

"What! Ok, that's it!" she yelled. "Look at me! LOOK at me, Odd! Do you really think it's easy for me to say! I'm the one all this is happening to! ALL of it!" she yelled at him and started pulling at her hair. Odd looked up a bit. "YOU have no idea! I'm the one Jeremie's mad at! I'm the one with no family to go back to. I can't stand this! You think you've got it bad, well, you don't! I'm the one with the bruises!" She took off her shirt and threw it on the ground, leaving her in her bra. Odd was shocked she'd do something like that. "See these, Odd! Or are you too dumb and blind! These bruises! These are on me! NOT YOU! Me! And they hurt! You know, I never thought I'd ever do that, but I did! Now, that's what I've been through, and you can't tell me you've been through worse!" She stomped off, leaving Odd there alone with her shirt.

"Hey, Aelita! Nice!" three boys taunted as she headed toward her room.

"Shut up or I'll make you shut up!"

"No need to be feisty. I'm sure there's plenty to go around," one of them said and they all started laughing.

"You're not funny and don't mess with me!" She said and stopped in front of them.

"Oh, am I gonna take this from a bruised girl?" the same guy said. "I don't think so." He started walking toward her. "Now, just apologize and we'll leave you alone."

"Never!"

"No need to be like that," he said. He then wrapped his arms around her and pulled her so close that her breasts were touching his chest.

"Uhh…ohhhh." She didn't know what was going on. Then he kissed her, and she started to pound her fists on his chest, but he wouldn't let go.

"Oh, come on, I'm not that bad," he said after the kiss, he still hadn't let her go. He then kissed her a second time, and she just kept pounding her fists. This time, though, he started to unhook her bra. When he finally got it unhooked, she tried to cover her chest, but he ended up getting it off her arms.

"Ahh!" she tried to scream, but one of the others had already grabbed her bra and put his hand over her mouth. The third one, while the second one was doing that, opened the door to his dorm. Then the first guy, who had been doing all the talking, pulled Aelita in the room, and the third guy, who opened it, shut the door.

"Ok, Aelita, are we through screaming?" the first guy asked, as the second guy took his hand off her mouth.

"Let go of me!" Aelita yelled as she still tried to conceal herself.

"Oh, you want me to let go of you?" he asked trying to pull her hands away. "Not a chance!" He said and as if on cue, the other two, one on each side, grabbed one of her arms. "I wanna see you, and that's what I'm gonna do!" He took off his shirt. Then he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. He could feel her breasts, now on his bare chest. "Now, I feel you, and you feel good." The other guys were still holding her arms, so the first guy stopped embracing her and started just to feel her.

"Let me GO!" she screamed.

Outside in the hallway, someone heard a girl screaming and ran toward the door.

"Not a chance!" he said and the two let go of her arms and pushed her to the floor and the first one pinned her to the ground. They all started joining in the fun.

"Ahhhhh! ODD! HELP! ODD!"

"OH SHUT UP!" the first guy yelled and started to kiss her.

The guy opened the door and jumped in, horrified to see the sight. He closed the door behind him.

"Aelita, I'm sorry!" he said and started to try and get the men off of her. As soon as he got the first one of he noticed something he hadn't noticed before. She was naked from the waist up.

"ODD!" she yelled and tried to fight off the other two.

He punched the first guy in the gut and he fell on the floor in pain. He then punched another guy in the nose, then the third guy in the gut. Aelita tried to stand, but was in too much shock to do much.

"Odd," she said shaking, and reached out a hand toward him. He grabbed her hand and helped her stand up then lifted her up to carry her. He blushed and closed his eyes, still standing there.

"Odd, open your eyes. Please. I don't mind. Just, please, take me to my room," she said weakly. "I need you to take me to my room."

"Uh, are you sure?" he asked.

"Yes, now just do it," she said weakly and trembled. He opened his eyes. "And, please, try to cover me as best as you can. I don't want others to see me. I've had enough today." Then she sighed and turned and wrapped her arms around his neck and put her chest against his chest and tried to calm down.

"Ok, I'll get you to your room," Odd said and opened the door. He stepped out and closed the door behind him. Aelita was trembling and started to cry. Odd walked her down the hallway towards her room.

"Um… where do you think your going with _my _girl?" someone asked form behind him.

"Shut up! Don't you think you've hurt her enough for one day, Artemis?" Odd asked turning around. Artemis was holding his stomach, wincing.

"She's mine, Odd! So leave her with me. We've got some things to do," he said. "Aelita and I, that is."

"Go away! Don't make me make you!" Odd yelled and stared at him in a death stare. "Just leave Aelita alone and I won't hurt you. Stay away from her."

He saw the hatred in his eyes. He was afraid of what Odd might do to him if he even got an inch closer to Aelita. "I'll let it slide this time, but next time she's mine!" he yelled and walked away.

"Odd," Aelita moaned. "Odd."

"Yeah? What it is? Are you ok?" He asked looking toward his shoulder as he walked.

"Odd, I'm not going."

"Not going where?"

"On the trip."

"Aelita, what? You'll have fun. It'll get your mind off of everything. You should go," he said sincerely. He opened her door and stepped inside.

"Odd, stay with me. Stay with…"

"Aelita? Aelita?" He looked at his shoulder after he closed the door. It looked like she was asleep, but was she? "Aelita? Answer me." He sat down on the bed. She looked so beautiful. She looked so, very beautiful. He didn't look anywhere but her face. He lied her down on the bed and brushed the hair out of her eyes. "Aelita," he said a bit louder. "Answer me." He placed his fingers on her neck to find a pulse. Nothing. He tried her wrist. Nothing. Gently he placed his ear on her chest. He listened. Nothing. Then a very faint beat, getting louder and more normal. Yes, she was alive. He lifted his head off of her chest. The he lifted her head any placed it at his chest.

"Don't ever scare me like that again. Never do that," He whispered and started crying. "I love you too much for you to leave me."

She took a quick breath. "Odd, … stay … here," she said faintly. "Stay … here … with … me."

"I promise. I will," Odd whispered in her ear and placed his head a top of hers. "I promise."

**I promise to update sooner!**

**Review and get a preview of the next chapted 'Rain clouds and Shattered Spirits'**

**Oh yeah! **

**I think that is my best chapter title yet!**

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	9. Rain Clouds and Shattered Spirits

**Ok, I'm sorry**

**i haven't updated in ever!**

**there was school problems.**

**ANYWAY**

**I think that this is the best chapter so far!**

**ENJOY**

**No Matter What They Say**

**Chapter 9: Rain Clouds and Shattered Spirits**

"I'm gonna go get a napkin," Ulrich said quickly and got up.

"Um…I need a soda. I'm gonna go get one," Yumi said quickly and stood up.

"Ok, but come back soon. I have a bunch to talk about. This trip will be a blast!" Sissi said.

"Ok," Yumi said and started to walk away.

As soon as they were out of hearing range they started talking. "Yumi, do you know where Odd and Aelita went? They've been gone for almost 45 minutes," Ulrich said grabbing a few napkins.

"No, and I'm getting worried. The longer they're gone, the more I worry. Where could they be?" Yumi said after filling her soda.

"I don't know," Ulrich said quickly, and they headed back to the table.

--m--

"Odd," Aelita said in a faint whisper.

"Aelita? What's the matter? Is there anything wrong?" Odd said and sat up.

"I…I…can't. No, this couldn't have happened," she said faintly and looked at him. His hair was messed up, and his shirt was torn at the sleeve, but he looked gorgeous.

"Aelita, I know this is hard to believe and even harder to comprehend, but this did happen, and I'm sorry," Odd said looking only at her face. She looked like she was in so much pain. Her hair was messed up and her eyes were glazed.

"Odd."

"What is it?"

She started to cry. "Help me." She reached out her hand. "Odd, ignore what I look like. Ignore it. I need you. Help me sit up," she said faintly.

"Aelita, something just happened to you that I wouldn't wish would happen to my worst enemy in a million years. I can't believe Artemis would do such a thing. I'll help you do whatever. I love you," he said and grabbed her hand and put his other hand behind her back and helped her sit up.

"Odd, you keep saying that. You keep saying it like you don't even want a response. A lot of people say that to each other and never mean it, and other people never say it at all. You are the only person I know that has ever said that to me and actually meant it or cared for me. I know you would never hurt me, but I can't say I love you because all of these guys I thought liked me are hurting me, and if I let you get too close to me, I'm afraid you'll hurt me too," she said and pushed off of her bed. She slightly stumbled over to her dresser and put on a bra and shirt. "I know it's silly, but I just can't right now, Odd. If you want to help me, just stay away from me for a while. Go on the trip and just leave me here."

"Aelita," Odd said getting off the bed. "If you want me to stay away from you for a while, I will, but I'm not letting you stay here the whole summer, while I go to the mountains. You're coming. I'll stay away from you there too, if that's what you want, but you are going. I'm sorry. I'll leave now," he said and walked over to the door. He took one last glance at her then left the room, leaving Aelita alone crying.

--m--

"Yeah, skiing sounds fun," Yumi said smiling. "I went skiing when I was really little. I was four and my dad was trying to teach me how to ski. He wasn't a very good teacher so he sent me to the classes, and I skied pretty much that whole winter. I also went skiing when Hiroki was four. I was around eight and I was in the advanced class. I love skiing. I'm really good. How about you?"

"Oh, I'm probably not as good as you," Sissi said, "but I took a class when I was around six or seven. I only ski once and a while."

"Oh, Ulrich, what about you?" Yumi asked.

Ulrich wasn't even looking at them. He was staring off into space.

"Ulrich?" Yumi asked.

He shook his head and blinked a few times. "What?"

"Are you good at skiing?" Sissi asked.

"Oh…I was just thinking about that. I'd rather not talk about it," he said. "It wasn't one of my favorite memories."

"That's ok. Just tell us," Yumi said and smiled at him. "Please?" She stuck her lip out and blinked at him.

"Ok. Fine!" Ulrich said quickly. "I was about five and my mom and dad took me to the mountains. They were great at skiing. They took me on the ski lift and I looked down. Scared to death, I started screaming, and when we got to the top, my mom and dad took my hand and tried to show me it wasn't scary. They showed me how to hold everything and started to show me how to ski. I tried and rolled down a hill in a big snowball until I crashed into a fence at the bottom. Since then, I've never tried to ski and I've had vertigo whenever I try to climb things or go down things. Ok! Happy?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, Ulrich," Yumi said. "I didn't know."

"Neither did I," Sissi said.

"Well, now you do. I can still remember that day vividly. I didn't roll very far, but I was five and it scared me to death. I've never even been on a chairlift since then," Ulrich said. "I can't believe I'm even telling you guys this. It must sound stupid."

"It's not stupid. Everyone's afraid of something," Yumi said and smiled. "I'm glad you told us."

"Hi, guys! Why are you still eating?" Odd asked coming up. "I've been looking for you. Did you know it's already 1:20?"

"Thanks, Odd," Ulrich said getting up. "We better be leaving. I've still got a few things left to pack."

"Oh, 1:20 already? Time flies when talking with friends," Yumi said and got up. Sissi stood up too and Herve and Nicholas. They all dumped their trays and started heading toward their rooms.

"Wow, it's starting to get cloudy. I better get back to my room before it starts to rain," Sissi said and waved good-bye to Yumi. The sky was a dark gray color.

Yumi pulled Odd over to the side and waited until all of the others were out of hearing range. "Where have you been? We were getting worried."

"I was just…um…talking with Aelita," Odd said quickly.

"Is she ok?" Yumi asked worried.

"Um…Yumi, could you talk to her. Something just happened to her that I didn't want to happen. Now, she doesn't want to go on the trip. I told her she had to come, but I'm not sure if she'll listen to me."

"Odd, why wouldn't she listen to you, and what happened to Aelita?" Yumi asked.

"It doesn't matter, but a lot of guys have done some really mean things to her. She thinks all the guys that were once her friend are going to be mean to her. She told me to stay away from her for a while," he said.

"Well, are you?"

"Sure, I'll stay away from her. Heck, I'll do whatever Aelita wants, but I know if she stays here she'll get hurt. Please, Yumi! Just, talk to her. Tell her I'd never hurt her in a million years," Odd said quickly and looked at Yumi longingly. "I love her, Yumi," Odd said and started crying slightly, "and I'd never want her to get hurt. I know you probably knew that, but I wanted to make sure."

"Odd, don't cry," Yumi said. Odd tried to stop but couldn't. He looked at Yumi and thought of Aelita in her room crying. He couldn't bring himself to stop. He hung his head.

"Odd, please don't cry," Yumi said and stepped toward him, put her hand under his chin and lifted his head. "Don't cry. Aelita will go."

Odd looked at her and tried to believe her, but he still kept crying. Then slowly it started to rain. Yumi looked at him in the eyes and then hugged him. "I'll talk to her," Yumi whispered into his ear. "I'll talk to her."

"Yumi, I love her. This is so hard to see her hurting. I don't even know if she loves me, and I've tried to forget about her, but she's all I ever think about," Odd said and hugged her back.

Yumi rubbed his back a bit as he cried on her shoulder. The sky was getting blacker as she looked up. The rain was getting heavier, and it was raining harder, but she never left Odd.

After a while, Ulrich came outside. By that time, Yumi and Odd were drenched and Odd was still crying. They were still in a hug. Ulrich didn't notice that Odd was crying and started walking up to them. Yumi saw the way his eyes looked, full of jealousy, and shook her head for him to stop. Ulrich noticed this and went back inside, still angry, but confused. Yumi ran her hand through Odd's hair and down the back of his head and neck.

Odd looked up at her. "It's starting to rain pretty hard, maybe we should go inside," Yumi said pulling out of the hug. A puddle had formed near them and Odd was almost standing in it. She looked at him, tears in his eyes, hair full of water, and clothes soaked from the rain. He looked like his heart had been ripped out and stepped on.

"You go on in," he said and hung his head. "I'm gonna stay here for a bit."

"You sure?"

"Yeah."

"Ok," she said and walked away towards the school building and Ulrich's dorm. She got to the archway of the door and turned around and looked back. A boy with blonde hair and a purple dot was lying in a puddle, drenched with rain, looking up at the sky, watching the rain fall onto his face. Yumi felt sorry for him, but went inside to find Ulrich.

--m--

"What was going on out there?"

"Calm down, Ulrich. Odd's not feeling so good," Yumi said. She took his hand and walked to the doorway and looked outside.

"See for yourself," she said and let Ulrich look out the doorway. Odd was still lying in the puddle looking at the sky.

"Is that Odd, the guy in the puddle?" Ulrich asked and looked at Yumi. Yumi was still looking at Odd.

"Yeah, that's him."

"Well, let's go get him! He'll freeze or drown or get pneumonia or something!" Ulrich said and headed out, but Yumi grabbed his shoulder.

"No. Leave him there. Let him be. He'll be fine," Yumi said and turned to look at Ulrich. She stared at him in his eyes. "He'll be fine." Ulrich nodded. Yumi smiled and turned to leave. Ulrich shut the door and followed her.

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	10. Thoughts Gone Ramped

**So, sorry i haven't updated in a while!**

**I'm going on vacation**

**So, this is all you'll get for a while!**

**enjoy!**

**No Matter What They Say**

**Chapter 10: Thoughts Gone Ramped**

Jeremie was sitting at his computer. It was time for lunch, but he wasn't hungry, and he didn't want to risk bumping into Aelita or Odd. _How could they do this to me? _He thought to himself. He was trying to work, but he couldn't keep his mind on his work. _How could she hug him outside __**my **__door? That was just rude! _He was trying to find an answer on how to free William from Xana's clutches, but he wasn't working very hard. He kept getting distracted. Aelita's voice would pop into his head. _Jeremie, don't you believe me? I was trying to be kind. Odd's done a lot for me and all I do is hug him for all his kindness and now you're jealous of Odd! You never understand these things. _Her voice kept ringing in his head, followed by Odd's voice. _Is that what this is all about? All I did was hug her. I'm sorry if that's such a crime! _Their voices stayed and replayed over and over. He couldn't get it out of his head.

_I didn't do anything wrong. She was the one who did something wrong! _He thought to himself. He got up from his work since it was hopeless to try and work with all of that going through his head. He walked over and started to pack a bit more. _Odd, you just want her for yourself! You've always wanted her! _His voice sounded in his own head, followed by Aelita's. _It's not like that! It's not like that at all! _Her voice sounded angry and scared. It replayed for a while. Then Jeremie's own voice came again. _Well, it is now! Odd, you want her, you can have her! _He sounded upset and wouldn't listen to Aelita.

Jeremie tried to get the voices out of his head, but they wouldn't leave. They stayed, tormenting him. He had to think of a way to get them out, but when he tried a different part of the fight played in his head instead. It kept going like that for a while. It was about 1:10 when Jeremie got fed up with it so much he got up from packing and ran out into the hallway. He slammed the door behind him.

The voices were quieter, as if they were drifting away on a pond. They got fainter until they were so quiet Jeremie could hardly hear them.

"I need to get my mind on something else," Jeremie said to himself. He started to walk down the hallway away from his room. He was heading toward the Rec. Room. William would most likely be there. He hadn't seen him in a while and he was afraid William wouldn't know what was going on. He was the only person he could talk to without getting upset.

--m--

Aelita stood up and wiped her eyes. She had been crying for a while. _Don't be stupid. He won't hurt you. Jeremie is just jealous. Artemis has always been mean. Odd loves you. He won't hurt you. Ever. Ulrich won't hurt you either. Just because some guys are like that doesn't mean all guys are like that. _Aelita shook her head and walked over to her mirror. Her eyes looked red, her hair looked a mess, and her face looked pale. She put her hands to her face and wiped her eyes again. She blinked a few times, then grabbed a change of clothes and headed to take a shower.

"This is the best thing for me right now," she said to herself as she turned into the bathroom. She grabbed a towel and went strait into one of the changing stalls and closed the door behind her. _This is the best thing for me. _

She finished undressing and grabbed a towel off the hook and rapped it around her. Then she headed to one of the showers. She took the towel off and turned on the hot water. She let it hit the bruises on her arms, but she had to fight to not cry from the pain. The water felt nice after what had happened. It also gave her time to think.

--m--

"What happened?"

"I already told you."

"No, you said he didn't tell you."

"Exactly. I don't know."

"I hate this."

"I do too."

"I'm sorry."

"Why? What did you do?"

"I jumped to conclusions. I should have known better," he said and hung his head. He looked down at his shoes, staring at the ground in the hallway, so he wouldn't have to stare at her face. "I should have known you wouldn't be doing that without a good reason."

Yumi lifted his head and looked into his eyes sweetly. She had just finished changing out of her wet clothes. "It's ok. I know I would have done the same thing. I have done the same thing when you were with Sissi."

Ulrich shrugged. "I never knew Odd would end up liking Aelita. It was always just settled that Aelita and Jeremie had a thing going on. Now that Odd has stepped up, Aelita has to choose." He hung his head again. Nothing was going right, but it might work out for the better.

Yumi grabbed his hand and walked him down the hallway. She turned into his room. She leaned him up against the door after she closed it. Then she looked strait into his eyes. "I've learned a lot today, and I don't say this often enough. I'm afraid that if I don't say it now, you won't know." She pushed her hair back from her face. "I love you. I really do. I've always been afraid to do that. I always have. It's so stupid to think that girls and guys can't say three simple words, when they've been dying to say them for their whole life."

"I know. It took me forever to get up the courage to say that, and I mean it. I love you. I'm sorry," he said and leaned up and kissed her. She rapped her arms around him and pulled him closer. This surprised him a bit, but not enough for him to stop, so they kissed on. Yumi and Ulrich's relationship was true. They both loved each other, but neither of them really got too close. If they kissed, it wasn't intense. They both respected each other. Ulrich didn't know what Yumi wanted from their relationship. The trip was a good opportunity to find out.

--m--

Odd looked up at the gray bleak clouds overhead. It was still raining. Yumi had left over a half an hour ago. He was soaked from the rain, and it was surprisingly cold for summer. _She's going to come. Yumi will talk to her. Don't worry._ The words were repeated in his mind, but they never seemed to make him feel sure. _She will come. She will. Don't worry. _No matter what his mind told him, he couldn't believe it. He wouldn't believe it. Not until Aelita would come to him and say she was coming. He wouldn't believe.

A chill ran up his spine. _What's the point in sitting alone out here? This won't make Aelita come on the trip. This is stupid. _He sat up and looked around. People were walking around. Some were under umbrellas. Others were running to get out of the rain. Odd stood up, didn't even bother to fix his hair which was full of water and slicked down, and walked inside.

After a while of walking through the hallway drenched from head to toe, he reached his room. He slowly turned the knob and opened the door. Yumi and Ulrich were lying on Ulrich's bed kissing. They didn't realize he had come in.

"Guys, this isn't a good time for you to be making out. If you didn't notice, I'm drenched, and I'm not in the best mood, so could you stop?" Odd say dully. He walked by them as they broke out of their kiss. Yumi jumped up and shut the door.

"I'm sorry, Odd. I didn't hear you come in. I didn't know how long you would be out there," she said.

"It's fine. I'll be out of your way in no time. I just stopped by to get some clothes to change into."

"Oh! I'll leave so you can change in-."

"No!" he cut in, "don't do that. I'm going to take a shower anyway. You can stay here. Make out for all I care, just do it once I'm gone." Odd grabbed his clothes he was getting out of his chest and left, closing the door behind him.

"I didn't mean to make him mad. Since when has he been so sensitive?" Ulrich asked.

"Don't you see, Ulrich? Odd told me something happened to Aelita that he didn't want to happen. Now Aelita's not going on the trip. If I don't talk to her, she won't go! Odd must be sad. That's like 3 months without Aelita!" Yumi said.

"I never knew that Aelita wasn't going," Ulrich said. "I could never spend 3 months without you."

"Awww, you're so sweet," Yumi said sarcastically and pushed him over. "That's not the point. Odd's feeling bad and you don't care!"

"Yumi!" Ulrich said, but she was pacing in the room, muttering something inaudible.

"Forget it, Ulrich. I'm going back to my room. I'll see you later!"

"But …Yumi! Let me explain!" By the time the words came out of his mouth, the door was already closed and she was already gone. Ulrich sat back down on his bed.

--m--

Jeremie made it to the Rec. Room and found William easily enough. Surprisingly when he asked him about packing for the trip, William said he had already packed. Jeremie tried to talk to William about what had happened to him, but it was like talking to a lamp that could talk back, and wasn't saying what he wanted to hear.

"Jeremie, Odd's a nice guy. You shouldn't be yelling at him," William said. "Aelita likes you. Odd likes you too. We all like you, Jeremie."

"The point is: Aelita likes Odd and me. I'm afraid when she chooses, she'll choose Odd. I really want Aelita to choose me. We've always been together."

"I haven't seen you stuck together."

"No. We were like boyfriend/girlfriend, or I thought we were."

William looked at him. "Did you ask Aelita if you were her boyfriend?"

"No, but-."

"Did you ask Aelita to be your girlfriend?"

"No, but-."

"Then how do you know you were her boyfriend and she was your girlfriend?" William asked.

"It was just understood!" Jeremie said. "Then Odd came and started liking her. He even said he loved her. She was my girl!"

"Well, you can't control your heart. Plus, you don't own Aelita," William said and got up. "Jeremie, you should be friends with them. They are nice people. If you love Aelita, tell her. Don't get mad at Odd for loving her when you didn't."

"William, just go away."

"Where?"

"Just go somewhere!"

"Somewhere? Where is that? Some place I should know about?"

"Just leave!"

"Good-bye, Jeremie."

--m--

Sissi stared out of her room window. The lights were out, and just as she suspected, it was raining. The sky was dark gray. She thought to herself for a long while. A thought here and there, never lingering for more than a few minutes. _Yumi seemed nice enough at lunch. I hope she stays that way. Why did Odd need to talk to Yumi so eagerly? Why won't Ulrich love me? _Some questions or thoughts were realistic. Others would just be a dream or would never be answered.

She was awakened from her thoughts by a knock at the door. She quickly walked over and opened the door. Herve came running in with Nicholas.

"What is it? This better be important!" Sissi shouted at them before they could speak.

"Oh, yes, Sissi, it is!" Herve said quickly. He looked around as if to make sure no one was looking there way, even though they were in her bedroom.

"We were going to go to the Rec. Room, but we didn't want to get wet so we didn't go," Nicholas said smiling.

"So! I already know it's raining!" Sissi said. "Get out!"

"But, Sissi, we saw something out the doorway when we looked out," Herve imputed before Sissi could throw them out.

"What did you see?"

"We saw Odd Della Robbia out in the rain next to a puddle," Nicholas said, still smiling.

"So, he can stand in a puddle for all I care! Tell me something interesting or leave!" Sissi started to push them over to the doorway, but Herve interrupted.

"He was hugging Yumi! He was laying his head on her!"

"WHAT!" Sissi said quickly and shut the door. _That's why Odd wanted to talk to her. Wait, if Odd likes Yumi and she was hugging him that means Yumi likes Odd. So, Ulrich's free for me! _"Where was Ulrich at the time?"

"Oh, we didn't see him around, Sissi. Yumi was alone with Odd," Nicholas said smiling.

"Interesting," Sissi said and smiled. "Tell me more!"

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	11. Torture From the Inside Out

**I'm sorry i haven't updated in a while!**

**There was this huge windstorm**

**You know the one from hurricane Ike!**

**And well, the power at my house was out for a whole 1 and a half weeks!**

**Nothing at my house was damaged**

**but no power means no updating.**

**I feel sorry for the people in Texas!**

**Well, here you go! The next chapter of one of my best stories!**

**No Matter What They Say**

**Chapter 11: Torture From the Inside Out**

Aelita tried not to think of Odd, but her mind did what it pleased. Odd joined the party in her head along with the Artemis incident. The parts replayed like a tape stuck on one scene. _'She's mine, Odd! So leave her with me. We've got some things to do.'_ She heard Artemis's cold voice ringing in her ears. _'Just leave Aelita alone and I won't hurt you. Stay away from her.' _Odd's voice soon joined in. He was protective. Aelita tried to make herself believe that Odd wouldn't hurt her, but then she heard her own voice replay. _'Odd, I'm not going.' 'Not going where?' 'On the trip.'_

She turned off the water and grabbed her towel. She wrapped it around her. It felt warm against her soft, hurt skin. She slowly walked over to the same changing stall she put her clothes in earlier. Then she started to get dressed. Slowly after much effort, she finished and left the bathroom. Right outside the door was Odd. He had a towel around his waist and looked aggravated. He hadn't even fixed his hair up yet. He looked different. His back was to her, and he slowly started to walk away. _Ask him what's wrong! _Her mind told her. _No, wait! Ignore him, and pretend you don't see him!_

"Odd, what's wrong? You look angry. Is everything ok?" She made up her mind. He turned around.

"I'm fine, Aelita. It's no big deal," he said softly and turned around so that he didn't have to face her.

_He's not telling me something. Why else would he be standing in the hallway in a towel? _"Odd, you can tell me. I mean it's not like you would stand in the hallway in a towel just for fun," Aelita said.

Odd blushed and turned around. "Ok, it wasn't my idea. I came out of my shower and somebody had taken my clothes."

"Oh, I'm sorry."

"You took them?" Odd asked puzzled.

"No, but I have a feeling it was Artemis. You know as well as I do that he would do something like that. If not something worse," she said. She tried not to stare at him. She looked away. "I'll go."

"I'm sorry, Aelita. For everything. I would never hurt you," Odd said sincerely. He walked up to her and kissed her lightly on the cheek. "I hope you change your mind and decide to come." Aelita blushed a bit and touched her cheek. Odd walked away, heading toward his room. He only hoped that Yumi wasn't still in there making out with Ulrich.

"Wait!" Aelita called. Odd turned around. He looked depressed, like he was there, but it wasn't him in that body. It was as if the life inside himself was not himself. He wasn't happy for sure.

"What?" Odd said. He sounded bored.

"I'm sorry! I think I was being too hard on everyone. I mean. Well, Artemis can be mean, and Jeremie can be short tempered, but that doesn't mean all guys are like that. I'm sorry," Aelita said and tried not to cry. A few tears fell, but she wiped them away quickly.

"It's ok, Aelita. You're just confused," Odd said and hugged her. His hair was still wet and the water dripped on her skin, but she didn't care. It felt calming and refreshing. "Just remember that Ulrich and I would never do anything to hurt you."

Aelita nodded, then smiled.

"Bye, I gotta get some clothes."

"Bye," She said quietly. "Oh and Odd, I'm coming."

--m--

Odd got back to his room quickly. He opened the door hoping to see an empty room or at least Ulrich by himself. He wasn't lucky. Yumi and Ulrich were still making out on Ulrich's bed.

"Ok, Yumi, I say this in the nicest way I can. Please stop making out for 10 seconds and leave, so I can get dressed in my own room," Odd said.

Yumi pulled away from Ulrich, blushing and feeling awkward. "I'm sorry Odd. I didn't know you were…. Odd why aren't you dressed? You took a change of clothes."

"I did. Someone took them. Therefore I am in a towel asking you to leave."

"Ok. Ulrich, I better be going. See you guys at dinner," Yumi said then left.

"I'm sorry, but I don't want your girlfriend watching me get dressed, even if she most likely would have only been looking at you," Odd said and started digging in his dresser for a pair of clothes he could wear.

"It's ok. Yumi was fine with leaving. You're my best friend Odd, you have rights too. This _is _half your room too," Ulrich said lying on his bed.

"Yeah, whatever," Odd said and continued to dig in his dresser.

"Odd, is something the matter?" Ulrich asked quickly not even looking at Odd. He was staring at the ceiling thinking of Yumi.

"No Ulrich, everything's fine," Odd said and turned around and stood up. "Of course I'm not fine! Hello! You won't even look at me!" Ulrich looked over. Odd was getting pretty mad. "I'm in a towel! Someone stole my clothes! Bad things have happened! Really bad things. Things I can't even talk about. I can't because it hurts too much to talk about them. I hate what happened to Aelita!" Odd was at the verge of tears.

"I'm sorry, Odd. I didn't know…"

"Of course you didn't know! I can't tell you! It hurts to even think about it!" Odd fell to his knees. He started pulling at his hair. He tried not to cry. He tried to force himself to be strong. He tried so hard, but even so it didn't work. He cried. "It hurts!"

Ulrich didn't know what to do. Odd was curled up, pulling at his hair. He wanted to comfort him, but he didn't know what happened to Aelita. He didn't dare ask because Odd said it hurt to think about it. "I'm sorry, Odd," Ulrich said and walked over to his best friend. He put his hand on his back. "I don't understand what you're going through. If something bad happened to Yumi I'd be mad too."

"Ulrich, something worse than bad happened to Aelita," Odd cried. He was about to go on, but couldn't.

"Are you sure you can't tell me?" Ulrich asked, but didn't pry. He tried to let Odd have the option.

"Ulrich, when I came in Aelita was screaming," Odd tried. "And then I saw. I saw." He broke down and cried harder. "Ulrich, she was topless. I mean nothing. They were all staring at her. Except one. Oh no. Not him. He was all over her. He…" He couldn't finish. Ulrich looked wide-eyed. "I fought them off, but when I got Aelita outside she was in such a state of shock that I had to carry her back. I didn't think I could look at her. I didn't want to look at…. I just. But, I tried. Even then he yelled at me. He shouted that Aelita was his, and that they hadn't finished business." Odd shuddered.

"Odd, who did that?" Ulrich said in a state of shock. Odd was full on crying. He was lying down and crying. His hair was a mess, and his towel was the only thing on him.

"Artemis."

Just then there was a knock on the door. Ulrich wondered whether or not to open it. "Ulrich? Is it ok to come in yet?" Yumi asked from outside the door.

Ulrich looked down at Odd and was about to reply 'no', but Odd started to say something first. "Go ahead and let her in, but don't star making out. She has a right to know, but I don't think I can tell her."

Ulrich nodded and opened the door. Yumi stepped in and was caught by surprise when she saw Odd lying on the floor still in his towel.

"Are you sure I should be in here?" Yumi asked. Then she noticed Odd was crying. "Wait, oh Odd. He's crying again. What happened?"

"Something happened to Aelita," Ulrich started but Yumi cut in.

"I already told you. I don't know what happened."

"But I do."

--m--

Herve and Nicholas told Sissi all about what they had seen. They told her all about the fact that Yumi was hugging Odd and Ulrich was nowhere in sight. This made Sissi suspicious.

"Ok, so now that Yumi and Odd like each other, Ulrich is free for me!" Sissi said joyfully.

"But, Sissi, what if Ulrich now likes Aelita?" Herve asked. "He might. Aelita might like him too. They all stick around each other."

"OH. You know as well as I do that Aelita and Jeremie will always be together. They're Mr. and Mrs. Einstein! They were made for each other!" Sissi countered. She started smiling and fixing her hair.

"What about Milly?" Herve suggested. "She liked Ulrich too."

"Ulrich would never fall for such a baby when he's got a perfectly lovely woman waiting for him," Sissi countered again. She continued to fix her hair. It seemed as if nothing could keep her from getting Ulrich.

"Well then what about Emilie?" Nicholas asked. "Ulrich hung out with her before. You made a whole deal about it. You said it would get Yumi out of the picture. But, Ulrich was interested in her."

"Ok, you know what? Even if he was interested in Emilie, it wouldn't matter because she's nowhere near as good as me!"

"But, Sissi, Ulrich's turned you down on several occasions," Nicholas said. "He liked Emilie."

"Well, if Emilie is my only competition, and you fools are going to make sure she is part of the competition, I'll just take her out," Sissi said and smiled. "Then Ulrich will come running to me."

"Unless he goes to Milly first," Herve suggested.

"OH! Why do you always have to think of the bad side?!" Sissi yelled. "Plus, I'm way better than that baby!"

"So you say," Nicholas whispered under his breath.

"SHUT UP!"

--m--

Aelita was in her room. She was lying on her bed and staring at the ceiling. Soon she heard a knock on the door. "Who is it?"

"It's us," Aelita heard Yumi's voice along with Ulrich's outside the door.

"Come in! The door's unlocked!" Aelita called. Yumi opened the door and both of them came in. Yumi ran strait to Aelita and hugged her.

"Ok, what's going on?" Aelita asked. "What's wrong? Did I miss something?" She stared at Yumi puzzled by why she was hugging her.

"Oh, Ulrich told me everything!"

"Everything about what?" Aelita asked confused. "I'm pretty sure I've missed something."

"Well, Odd told him, but Ulrich told me," Yumi said still hugging her. "I can't believe he would do that to you."

"Who?" Aelita asked still puzzled.

"Artemis of course!"

"Oh… I'm sorry, but if you wanted to talk about that I can't," Aelita said and stared at the floor.

Yumi finally pulled out of the hug. "Oh, no, I didn't. I'm just amazed at how mean he could be. I really don't want this to affect your judgment on all the guys at Kadic."

"Aelita, I'm sorry if I've done anything ever to hurt you," Ulrich said sincerely. "I would never hurt you on purpose. You've got to come on the trip."

"What… I am coming. I told Odd that this afternoon. I've decided to come because after I thought about it, it was really stupid to think just because one guy is mean that all guys are mean," Aelita said and smiled slightly. She went over and hugged Ulrich. Ulrich hugged her back. Yumi just smiled. She knew it was nothing more than a friendship thing. She knew that Aelita had too many problems deciding between Odd and Jeremie to even think about Ulrich.

"Ulrich, I knew you'd never hurt me," Aelita said and smiled.

"Just remember that, Aelita," Ulrich said and smiled. He pulled out of the hug and looked at her. She was lovely. Despite the messy hair and slightly wrinkled clothes, she looked very beautiful. Aelita was a great friend and Odd or Jeremie for that matter would be lucky to have her as a girlfriend.

"Oh, Aelita, I'm so glad you're coming on the trip. We all would have been so sad without you there. We all would have missed you," Yumi said sincerely. "Plus, I know a guy who really loves you, and he is hurting inside because he hates seeing you get hurt."

"Oh, Odd. Why can't he just be my friend? This was so much easier when I didn't have a boyfriend. Or at least I didn't think I had a boyfriend. Jeremie might have thought otherwise," Aelita still smiled. "I've got to talk to him! He must be feeling awful."

"He was crying in our room," Ulrich said.

"I've got to see him!"

"You might want to wait for a while, at least until he gets changed into some clothes," Yumi said and smiled.

"I guess I can wait that long."

**I hope you liked it!**

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	12. Miscommunication and Not Being Able

**Well.**

**I haven't updated in a while**

**Enjoy this new addition**

**No Matter What They Say**

**Chapter 12: Miscommunication and Not Being Able to Communicate **

Odd finish getting dressed and looked at himself in the mirror. His eyes were swollen and red, his hair was a mess, and he didn't look his happy normal self. He hadn't fixed up his hair. He hadn't worn it down since the first day he went to Lyoko, back when he was assigned to be Ulrich's roommate. He decided to just leave it. He only fixed it so that it would stay out of his eyes or at least most of it would. He didn't feel like taking the time to put it up into his normal point. He didn't really care how he looked anymore, so he set out to Aelita's room. That was where Ulrich and Yumi told him to come when he finished.

He walked down the hall, hands in his pockets, and staring at the ground. A few people passed him in the hallway on his way to Aelita's room. None of them really stopped him. They just took a double take and kept on walking. None of them stopped him, that was, until he passed Jeremie in the hallway. That was when he got stopped.

"Odd? Is that you? Well of course it has to be you. I mean who else would have a ridiculous purple dot in their hair? It's rather uncommon, but that's not what I meant," Jeremie said stopping him in the hallway. He looked at his hair and the way he was walking.

"Ok, I get it Jeremie. You think my hair is ridiculous," Odd said. "Make fun of it if you have to, but I like my hair."

"And do you think anyone else does? You wear it in that ridiculous point all the time. Really, Odd, you should cut it into a normal hairstyle. It's not like the girls are impressed by it. It's not like _Aelita_ is impressed by it," Jeremie said taunting him just a bit to see what he would do. "Is that why you kept it down? Are you afraid people don't like it anymore? Or is it that you just realized that nobody ever liked it?"

"Jeremie, leave me alone," Odd said not even looking up. His hair started to fall into his face. "Leave Aelita out of this. Why do you always have to bring her up? Would you just leave her alone for once?"

"Odd, I just don't understand it. How could Aelita even think she liked a clown like you, when a smart guy like me already likes her?" Jeremie asked Odd.

"That's the reason, Jeremie. You've just skipped over one fact. You misread the data, or whatever you want to say," Odd said still not looking up. "Listen to yourself. What don't you ever say?"

"I don't understand. What do you mean?" Jeremie asked puzzled. "I'm smarter than you, and I'm way more mature than you. What does she see in you that I don't have?"

"Hey, Jeremie, I may not be as smart as you, and I may not be as mature, but I have one thing you don't. It's a four letter word, and if you don't know what it is, it's because you never had it." Odd continued to stare at the floor. When Jeremie didn't start talking, he figured he had finished, and started walking towards Aelita's room.

"Odd!" Jeremie shouted and he turned around and looked up for the first time. Jeremie walked toward him. "I want you to know, that I really care about Aelita, and I don't want you to hurt her. Please, just don't hurt her by doing something stupid. That's all I ask."

"What do you mean?" Odd asked.

"If Aelita wants you instead off me, which I still don't understand why she would, I wish you two well. I don't want to see Aelita get broken. I don't want her to cry anymore," Jeremie finished and turned around to leave. "Oh, and I'll see you at dinner in a little while."

_Is this a dream? Am I really dreaming? _Odd thought to himself. _Jeremie does have a heart. _Odd watched him leave and turned to continue his way to Aelita's room. He got to the room without being stopped again. He walked looking where he was going, not at the floor anymore. He opened the door to head inside only to get pushed back so hard he fell on the floor. Aelita had run up and hugged him to the floor as soon as he opened the door.

"Odd are you ok?" she asked lying on top of him. "I heard you were crying. I'm sorry this is all my fault."

"Aelita, I'll be fine as soon as you get off of me," Odd said and Aelita quickly got off of him and helped him up.

"Sorry," Aelita said quickly and blushed as she closed the door behind him. Yumi and Ulrich were sitting on her bed trying not laugh. Aelita quickly noticed Odd's hair.

"Odd, you've done something different with your hair," Aelita said trying to let him tell her why it was down and not up in its normal point.

"Oh, yeah, I um left it down. Do you like it?" Odd asked.

"Hey, it looks a bit like when I first met you. Except now you've got more bangs and they hang in you face," Ulrich said. "Can you even see like that?"

"I think it looks good," Aelita said and smiled. She pushed his bangs to the right so they covered his right eye only. He blushed a bit.

"I like it both ways," Yumi said smiling. She noticed how Aelita looked so happy with Odd. "If you like it like this, then we'll just have to get used to it."

"I guess it looks fine now, if you like it like that, I'm ok with it," Ulrich said and smiled. He knew Odd really liked Aelita, because he blushed when she fixed his hair. Ulrich then grabbed Yumi's hand. Yumi smiled back at him.

"I really like it, Odd," Aelita said and sat down at her desk. Odd took a seat on the bed next to Ulrich.

"Thanks, guys," Odd said and smiled for the first time in hours. "Jeremie stopped me in the hallway on the way here, he was kinda mean at first, but in the end he seemed pretty nice. He wants us to sit with him at dinner."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Yumi asked. "I mean the last time he sat with us, you guys got pretty mad at each other."

"Yeah, but it's ok now. We worked everything out," Odd said and smiled at Aelita. He stared at her, and she stared back. It went on for almost a minute when Aelita looked away, slightly blushing. Odd turned toward Yumi and Ulrich. "Hey, Aelita, how'd you do it?"

"Do what?" she asked puzzled.

"How'd you get Yumi and Ulrich to stop making out!?" Odd joked. "They've been doing it all day!" He started laughing. Aelita joined in. Yumi and Ulrich blushed, and Ulrich got pretty mad.

"ODD!" Ulrich said angrily.

"Oh, lay off it, Ulrich. We have been making out all day," Yumi said as she grabbed his hand and held him back.

Aelita laughed. Ulrich stopped, but was still angry. Odd smiled and got up away from Ulrich to lean against the wall.

Yumi ran her finger down Ulrich's arm. Ulrich, surprised at what Yumi was doing, began to twitch his eyebrow. He then blushed slightly before she did it again. Yumi never usually did that in front of other people.

Odd and Aelita looked a bit awkward. "I'm gonna go," Aelita said quickly and left, dragging Odd along with her.

Ulrich looked at Yumi a bit shocked. "Why did you do that?"

"Oh, I guess I just wanted to see something."

"Next time, try it when Aelita and Odd aren't in the room."

"Ok. I'll remember that," she said and ran her finger down his arm again.

------m------

Sissi was walking down the hallway when she saw Aelita and Odd walk out of Ulrich's dorm. She waited for a few minutes and once she saw Yumi come out, she headed for the room.

"Ulrich, knock knock, can I come in?" Sissi asked as she started to come in.

"Oh, sure, I guess." _This feels soooooo weird. I can't be doing this. _"So, Sissi, what did you want?" Ulrich asked kind of awkwardly.

"I heard about Yumi and Odd. I'm sorry, but I'll be here for you," Sissi said sympathetically.

"That's great, but how did you know?" Ulrich asked thinking she was talking about how Odd was upset.

"I have my ways, but that's not important. You can come to me," she said sweetly.

"That's really nice, but shouldn't you be saying this to Odd or Aelita?" he asked.

"Well why would I do that? I like you, plus Odd already has Yumi!" Sissi said as she inched closer to him and started batting her eyes.

"Ok, now wait a minute. What are you talking about?!"

"Odd and Yumi were hugging. Aren't they going out?" Sissi asked confused. "They are going out aren't they?"

"No, I'm going out with Yumi," Ulrich said still confused.

"Well then what were you talking about?" Sissi asked and stood up and put her hands on her hips.

"Odd was having a bad day! Yumi was just hugging him!" Ulrich said. "Nothing's going on between them. I still love Yumi."

"You don't like me?"

"Nope." Ulrich smiled.

"UGH!" Sissi huffed and stomped out of the room. Ulrich started laughing.

------m------

"You idiots!" Sissi yelled as soon as she got back to her room.

"What did we do, Sissi?" Nicholas asked.

"Oh! You two!" Sissi yelled in a huff. "I just made a fool of myself in front of Ulrich. He's still going out with Yumi!" She glared at Herve and Nicholas.

"How were we supposed to know?" Herve asked.

"That's beside the point. The point is now I don't have a chance at all!" she yelled.

"Like she ever had a chance," Nicholas said under his breath.

"I heard that!"

------m------

"Hey, guys! Sorry I'm late. I had a run-in with Sissi," Ulrich said as he sat down for dinner.

"It's no problem, Ulrich," Aelita said quickly. Everyone looked pretty happy. Jeremie and Odd were sitting next to Aelita, Odd's hair was still down though. Yumi had saved Ulrich a seat next to her. William was sitting on the other side of her.

"I can't believe the trip is tomorrow," Yumi said anxiously.

"I know. I can't wait!" Aelita said.

"I'm just glad you're coming, Aelita," Odd said sincerely and smiled. Aelita smiled too.

"We're all glad you're coming, Aelita," Jeremie said and smiled as well.

"Wait, where are we going?" William asked.

"We're going to the mountains. You did pack warm clothes didn't you?" Yumi asked.

"Yes."

"Good. I'll see you guys tomorrow morning!" Yumi said as she got up to leave. "Bye!"

"Bye, Yumi," Ulrich said as the others echoed.

"I better get going too," Jeremie said getting up. "I've got to pack my laptop before I go to bed."

"We might as well all go. It's going to be an early start in the morning," Ulrich said, and the others agreed. Then they all went back to their dorms.

------m------

"Oh, just do it, Hiroki!" Johnny said quickly.

"No," Hiroki said turning around to face him. "I can't."

"Do it!"

"No!"

"Oh, come on! Don't chicken out!" he said sighing. "We came all the way over here and you won't even knock!"

"Maybe I'll do it later. I'm just not ready yet, Johnny," Hiroki said and started to walk off.

"Oh, come on!" Johnny said and grabbed his arm. "Just do it!"

"No. I can't." Hiroki looked at him, but Johnny wouldn't give. "I can't."

"But, Aelita said!" Johnny tried, but he was cut off.  
"I don't care what Aelita said. I'm not doing it yet!"

"Why not?"

"I'm not ready!"

"When will you be ready?"

"Maybe on the trip."

"No. Just do it now!"

"No."

"Yes!"

"No!"

"Fine, but I'm not happy about it," Johnny complained, and they started to walk off.

------m------

"When will you tell him?"

"I'm not sure yet."

"Well, you have to be sure."

"That's my problem."

"You can wait."

"I have no other option."

"We'll talk more in the morning."

"Yeah, goodnight," she whispered and turned off the lights before sliding into her bed and falling asleep.

"Goodnight."

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	13. The Rising Sun

**Here is the next chapter**

**I guess you could say it's like a Christmas present**

**Though it has nothing to do with Christmas**

**Merry Christmas anyway**

**And have a happy new year!**

**No Matter What They Say**

**Chapter 13: The Rising Sun**

Aelita opened her eyes a crack and slowly started to wake up. She blinked twice and rubbed her eyes. 6:15, her clock flashed as she glanced over. Her heart was racing. Today would be the day.

She slowly turned and sat up, draping her legs over the edge of her bed. She stretched out her arms and yawned.

_Knock, knock_

"Who is it?" Aelita asked as she stood up to get the door.

"It's Ulrich!"

"Come in. The door's unlocked," Aelita said and yawned again.

"Hey, Aelita."

"Hey," Aelita said quickly while looking for something to wear. "Is there something you wanted, Ulrich?"

"Um…well, have you thought about it?"

"Thought about what?"

"Odd and Jeremie."

"What about them?"

"They both seem to… um… want you." Ulrich said a little awkwardly.

"I know what you're getting at," Aelita said turning around. "They both seem to want me as a girlfriend. I don't care. I'm going to try to have fun on this trip. Odd and Jeremie can fight over me all they want, even though I wish they wouldn't, and it wouldn't make the slightest bit of difference to me." She turned back around to find an outfit.

"I'm just worried about you," Ulrich said sincerely after a long pause.

"Don't be. I can take care of myself."

"I'm just afraid that if you don't make a decision there will be trouble."

"Ulrich I appreciate your advice, but I'm afraid if I decide to quickly I will decide wrongly. I know that Odd loves me. I know he does, but I'm just not sure if I _love _him. I know I like Odd, and I know Jeremie isn't a bad person, but I'm not sure if I _love_ either of them," Aelita said. "I'm just not sure, Ulrich. I don't want them to fight, but if they think they can win me over by fighting each other they've got the wrong idea. All I would want is them to just make me feel protected and cared for. That's all." Aelita turned around after she found the outfit she was going to wear. It was a pair of light jeans and a solid dark pink turtle-neck.

"Just, try not to do anything drastic on the trip. I wouldn't want you or anyone to get hurt," Ulrich said sweetly.

"Don't worry."

------m------

Yumi was heading out of her house. It was only 6: 30, but they had to be there extra early. The buses were going to leave at 7:15.

"Goodbye, Mom!" she yelled for the last time as she was trying to shut the door unsuccessfully while holding a suitcase, handbag, and wearing a backpack. Meanwhile, Hiroki just stares at his sister waiting impatiently.

"Wait! Let me help you!" Mrs. Ishiyama cried from the next room.

"It's ok, Mom, I got it!" Yumi yelled as she finally got it closed. "No thanks to you!" Yumi looked over at Hiroki.

"What?" Hiroki said innocently. "I'm just waiting for you. You're the one that took _forever_!"

"Just start walking! We don't want to be late!" Yumi yelled and pushed her brother in the direction of Kadic.

"No you just want to see _Ulrich, _your _boyfriend_," Hiroki said and a mischievous grin came on his face.  
"Just keep walking," Yumi said in a huff. "Just keep walking."

------m------

"I'm hungry."

"You're always hungry, Odd."

"I'm _really_ hungry," Odd complained rubbing his growling stomach. He had surprisingly put up his hair today, even though Aelita liked it both ways. He wasn't quite used to it getting in his face so much.

"Well, you'll just have to wait until we get to the restaurant."

"But, we're not even on the bus yet, Jeremie. I don't think I can wait that long!" Odd complained dragging his suitcase in line with the rest of the 8th and 9th graders. Jeremie got in line behind him followed by Ulrich and William.

"Odd, it's not going to even be 10 minutes until we can board the bus," Ulrich said.

"There are 10 minutes until we can get on the bus. Then, there are 10 more minutes until we take off. _Then_, we have to drive all the way to the restaurant and wait to be seated and served! That's like 45 minutes!" Odd complained.

"Wow, Odd, who knew you were that good at math," Aelita said as she came up and got in line with the rest of them.

"Oh, hey, Aelita," Ulrich said.

"I am too good at math!"

"Very funny, Odd," Jeremie said laughing. "I don't consider an 81% good."

"When it involves food, Odd's good at anything," Ulrich said smiling.

"So, where's Yumi?" Aelita asked Ulrich. "Is she even here yet?"

"No, she's not here yet. She had to walk all the way from here house. It takes a while," Ulrich said in reply.

"HIROKI!" Yumi yelled as she came up.

"What? I didn't do anything!"

"Don't run off! Stay with your grade!"

"Ok, gosh," he said quickly and stuck out his tongue. He quickly turned around and headed toward his group. Yumi turned and headed toward hers.

"Oh, hey guys!" Yumi said as she got into line.

"You got here just in time, Yumi. It looks like Jim is starting to check bags," Aelita said pointing up to Jim moving a metal detector over all the bags.

"Great," Yumi said and smiled as she saw Sissi stomp onto the bus and have Herve sit down next to her. "What's wrong with Odd?" she asked as she glanced over at him holding his stomach.

"Oh, don't mind him," Ulrich said quickly. "Odd's hungry, but he's always hungry."

"We'll eat soon enough, Odd," Yumi said and smiled.

"That's what they want you to think. We'll be starved by the time we get there," Odd complained again and moved forward toward Jim and his metal detector.

------m------

"Hiroki! I've been waiting for forever for you!" Johnny said a bit aggravatedly.

"Sorry, Johnny, my sister took _forever_ in the bathroom this morning!" Hiroki said and sighed as he saw Milly get on the bus a few people in front of him. Tamiya was with her.

"I told you to do it last night," Johnny muttered as soon as he saw where Hiroki was looking.

"What if she doesn't like me? What if she thinks I just a kid or I'm too young for her?" Hiroki wondered staring off in her direction.

"We went over that! You can prove that you're mature enough to go out with her," Johnny said smiling.

"I guess so." Hiroki was still staring at Milly as he moved forward in line to get on the bus. Milly had her hair up in two low pigtails, just like always. She was looking over at Tamiya laughing. Hiroki smiled when he saw this. He loved the way Milly looked when she laughed.

"Hiroki!" Johnny yelled trying to get his attention for the third time. Hiroki finally looked up just as it was his turn to check his bags. One of the chaperones quickly wanded them and set his suitcase aside to be put into the bus. He then walked onto the bus with his backpack.

They both looked for two seats next to each other that were open. They quickly found some diagonally behind Milly and Tamiya. They had a while to wait before the bus would take off. Hiroki soon was staring at Milly with a longing look in his eye. Johnny quickly noticed and leaned over toward him.

"Hiroki, you're my best friend. I know what's good for you," he said sincerely. He smiled concerned. "Don't let her get away," he whispered and turned to look out the window. "I never had a chance. She was way too old and out of my league." He said after a pause, and he turned to look back at him. "You have a chance. Go for it. The worst that could happen is that it wouldn't work out. That's the price you have to pay because it could work out." Johnny smiled and turned back toward the window.

Hiroki looked back over at Milly. She was so beautiful. Her skin was almost flawless as far as he could tell. He quickly got lost staring at her.

------m------

"We're finally on the bus," Ulrich said as he took his seat next to Yumi. She smiled and grabbed his hand. Aelita was in a seat in front of him. She had the window. Odd gladly took the seat next to her, forcing Jeremie to have the one across the aisle with William. Odd sat there in quiet triumph as he tried to quiet his stomach as well.

"Yeah," Yumi said smiling. She looked out the window at the gray blue sky that was just getting hit with the first rays of sunlight.

Ulrich slowly looked away from the window and stared at Yumi. He looked at her trying to resist the temptation to kiss her right now in front of everyone. He slowly leaned over onto her black turtle-neck. He brushed back her hair and quietly whispered into her ear. "I love you, and I promise that I will spend every minute of this trip with you."

Yumi turned and looked at Ulrich sweetly, yet a bit shocked. Her hair slipped away from behind her ear. She gently placed her lips to his ear and whispered very faintly. "No one could love you more than I do." Then as if nothing had happened, she turned back to the window to watch the rising sun.

------m------

Sissi looked as if she could hit Herve in the face if he tried to even look at her. She was trying to lean as far as she could to see Ulrich, 10 seats in front of her.

"Hey, Sissi," Herve said but quickly got cut off.

"If you so much as try to get me to talk to you, I am going to hurt you!" Sissi yelled as she turned back to try and hear Ulrich. "This is a 2 and a half hour ride and I will not be stuck hearing you the whole time! Ulrich's talking!"

"But, he's 10 rows ahead of you across the aisle," Nicholas chimed in from the seat behind her.

"If you two would shut up, I could hear Ulrich!" Sissi yelled and stared angrily ahead toward Yumi. Nicholas slowly sank back into his seat and tried to keep quiet as he twiddled his thumbs.

------m------

Hiroki soon woke up from his gaze as Milly looked over. He was in shock and couldn't hide his blush as he turned to look at his hands. Milly just turned back to Tamiya as if nothing had happened.

"I think Hiroki was looking at you," Tamiya said with a suspicious look on her face.

"Are you sure? He could have been staring at you," Milly replied surprised.

"I don't think so, Milly. He was definitely looking at you."

"You're not sure though, now are you?"

"No, I'm not entirely sure, but that's what it looked like. I mean did you see the way he blushed when he noticed you were looking over?" She said and raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, but that could mean anything. He doesn't like me," Milly said quickly and Tamiya raised an eyebrow even more. "Or does he?"

"It kind of looked like it," Tamiya smiled.

Milly blushed. "Doesn't he think I'm too old for him?"

"It's just one year Milly. Ulrich and Yumi have been going out and they're separated by a year. You wanted Ulrich and he's two years older than you," Tamiya countered.

"Yeah, I know. I know."

"Well, do you like him?" Tamiya pushed. Milly looked down, thinking.

"Well, we talked about this, Tamiya. You already thought he liked me," she said quickly.

"That didn't answer my question."

------m------

Odd: Pov

Aelita quietly hummed to herself as she waited for the bus to start moving. It should take off soon. I sat next to her not knowing wait to say. My stomach still growled, but I tried to muffle it because I didn't want Aelita to notice. She turned toward me and smiled without stopping humming. She must have heard me.

"Sorry," I muttered and she quietly laughed.

Why did Aelita have to look so beautiful? Why did we have to pretend to be cousins? I looked over at her and tried to remember what Ulrich had told me. _Aelita wants someone to be her friend, just to be there for her. She said she doesn't need a boyfriend right now._ I tried to keep smiling and not think about Jeremie. Though, it was pretty funny that he got stuck sitting next to William. Plus, Jeremie couldn't get in the way too much. Aelita didn't like Jeremie at all, or if she did she was just getting used to him again.

I'm pretty glad Aelita stopped crying though. It just seemed like she was always so different depending on the day. She could be happy, and then sad. Then she could be happy again, all in the matter of 5 minutes. I was starting to get confused. Maybe she's bipolar or something.

Just then, the bus started moving slowly pulling out of the parking lot and onto the street. An eruption of cheers burst out of the teens on the bus, happy to be gone. I looked over at Aelita. She suddenly looked solemn, like she wasn't happy to be leaving.

"What's wrong, Aelita?" I asked trying to be subtle.

"Oh, it's nothing, Odd," she said turning toward me, slightly smiling. "It's just I've never really left Kadic, or the city for that matter, and gone to the mountains since I was a little kid. You know," she paused and tilted her head, "since my dad and mom took me."

This caught me a little off. I didn't expect that. "Oh, right." It was the only thing I could think of at the time. She didn't seem to mind and smiled, turning around to smile at Yumi. I turned and looked as well. They seemed to just be sitting there holding hands. Yumi quickly looked up and smiled. I turned back around, and taking a risk, decided to take Aelita's hand. I looked at her to be sure she was ok with it, and she looked at our hands, then to my face, then back to our hands before she smiled. I guess that meant she was ok with it.

I guess I was right, because she kept my hand with her the whole time before we got to the restaurant. All we did was talk, mostly about how excited she was about going back to the mountains.

Aelita: Pov

I didn't know what to do. Jeremie looked upset, but I didn't really want to sit by him anyway. Then we were talking. Just Odd and me. Soon he took my hand. I didn't know what I wanted, but I didn't think holding his hand was bad because it felt so good. It could be just a friendship thing. His hand was so warm. I just kept it.

"What do you want to do when we get there?" I asked trying to keep conversation going.

"I don't know. I want to do it all. Nothing is too much or too powerful to defeat me!" He chanted.

I had to laugh at that comment. "I guess I want to take a walk in the snow, like I used to. That was always fun."  
"We'll have to do that," he said sweetly. I looked at him and I saw that he saw more in the holding hands than I did. It was a good think we were at the restaurant. I stopped holding his hand as we turned into the parking lot at Dee's House of Home Cooking. Nurse Yolanda stood up and started to talk.

"I want you all on your best behavior. That means no throwing or taking other people's food. Please walk and don't push. Thank you," she said and stepped out of the bus.

We followed and were soon seated. It seemed as if we took up almost the entire restaurant. Yumi was to my right and Odd was at my left. I tried to be calm, but I was too tense. Maybe I wasn't ready for a big trip like this. Maybe I wasn't ready for this type of adventure. Maybe I'm not ready for any adventure other than Lyoko.

**So did you like it?**

**Tell me what you think.**

**Review and you'll get a preview of the next chapter!**


	14. Mumbles

**This is my shortest chapter yet. This is suppost to be this short.**

**Just so you know this is not the normal chapter lengths.**

**No Matter What They Say**

**Chapter 14: Mumbles**

Aelita: Pov

I felt like everyone was looking at me. Like I was that one duck, and everyone wanted it. It was duck season, and I was stupid enough to fly into the sky. Everyone was looking at me and saying: wow, what a stupid duck. Or so it seemed.

Breakfast went on and on. The seconds trudged on as I encouraged the clock to move faster. The seconds slowly became minutes. The minutes went on and on. Slower than the seconds went. It was torture. I didn't want to sit there anymore. I didn't want to be with my friends. I wanted to be alone, but not with others staring at me. No, I wanted to be completely alone. Just so I could think.

Mumbles.

What were they saying? Concentrate. Try to listen.

Mumbles.

Was that my name?

Mumbles.

There was a pause. Did they ask me a question? I couldn't tell. I couldn't make out the words. I wouldn't be able to answer.

Mumbles.

I didn't understand. _Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. _

Time goes by too slowly when you want it to speed up and get done with. Try to understand. Try to hear.

Mumbles.

"Aelita?"

Was that my name? Of course it was, but I finally understood. How could I answer?

"Yes?" I asked not knowing who had asked the question.

"Are you ok?"

How should I answer? How should I answer? Lie? Tell the truth? How did I feel? Was I ok? Was I really ok? Did I even know?

"Yeah. I'm just a little nervous, I guess," I said. It was only a half-lie.

Yumi smiled. It was her voice that asked the question. "You'll be fine. It'll be fun."

Mumbles.

I was back out. Not understanding. Not hearing.

_Tick. Tock. _Time drew on and on. Nothing to speed it up.

Mumbles.

Time.

Understand the words. Hear the voices. Speed up time. Not Possible.

It was only breakfast. How would I get through the entire day? I would have to listen. Listening was my only option.

I felt like everyone was looking at me. Like I was that one duck, and everyone wanted it. It was duck season, and I was stupid enough to fly into the sky. Everyone was looking at me and saying: wow, what a stupid duck. Or so it seemed. I needed to learn.

**Reveiw for a previw. **

**Go on just ckick the green button right below. **

**v**


	15. Everyone Needs Someone To Talk To

**In this chapter I added a new OC of mine**

**His name is Jared**

**You'll learn more about him later on**

**I guess you could say the OC looks like my boyfriend**

**They're both 5' 7"**

**They both have dark brown hair**

**My boyfriend's name isn't Jared though**

**I'm dedicating this chapter to him**

**Although I doubt he even knows I'm writing this**

**Enjoy**

**R&R**

**No Matter What They Say**

**Chapter 15: Everyone Needs Someone To Talk To**

Aelita: Pov

The bus ride was longer than breakfast. It went on and on. I didn't let him hold my hand this time. I thought that would give him the wrong idea. I was pretty sure I knew what he was saying this time. There weren't anymore mumbles. That was the good thing. I could understand everyone. I felt tired though and decided to lean my head on my hand and shut my eyes. That way, I didn't have to talk as much.

"Odd."

"Yeah, Aelita?" Odd sounded worried. Why did he have to be worried? Why did he have to care so much? Why can't I just make up my stupid mind? Why does he have to like me so much? Why can't he just let everything be? I just want to think. Is that to much to ask for? I just want some time to think and to not be pressured. Is that really to much to ask for?

"Don't worry about me. I'm fine. Just worry about yourself. You're a good friend, but I just want to be alone for a while. I just want to think."

He was quiet. Finally I had gotten what I had wanted.

------m------

Yumi and Ulrich were holding hands again. They were both smiling. It was sweet in a sense of a cute relationship.

"I know Aelita will come around," Yumi said quietly so that Aelita and Odd wouldn't hear her.

"I don't know what was with her at breakfast. Odd seemed to be happy, but Aelita just seemed like she was uncomfortable sitting next to him."

"Maybe Aelita doesn't want a boyfriend, but Odd wants a girlfriend," Yumi guessed.

"Aelita told me she just wanted a friend," Ulrich said a bit worried.

"Odd was holding her hand on the way to the restaurant. All the way there." Yumi paused. "Aelita didn't seem to mind at first, but then it seemed as if Odd had stuck her with a fork or something. She definitely wasn't herself at breakfast. She didn't say a word. I don't even think she knew what we were talking about." Yumi looked worried. Ulrich started to tense up, but tried to calm himself. All he could think of was that Aelita was fine and nothing would go wrong on this trip, but that was being a bit optimistic.

"She'll be fine," Ulrich finally whispered into her ear. Then he smiled and turned to rest his head on the back of his chair.

Yumi smiled and closed her eyes. She slowly leaned her head on Ulrich's shoulder. Ulrich relaxed a bit and started rubbing the back of her hand with his thumb.

------m------

"Just looking at them makes me sick!" Sissi said exasperatedly. Herve looked up and sighed.

"If you didn't look over there it wouldn't make you sick," he said quietly.

"But, I have to see Ulrich!"

"Then stop whining," Nicholas said and slouched back into his seat. "You're giving me a headache."

"OOH! If I could get my hands on Yumi!"

"Sissi, if I could interrupt. You did tell her that it was fine with you that she could sit with Ulrich," Herve said and mumbled something inaudible.

"Yes, but I didn't give her permission to glomp all over him. I mean look at them!" She pointed in their direction.

"I think they look kind of cute together, Sissi. Plus, Yumi doesn't need you're permission to do anything!" Nicholas said defensively.

"Nicholas! I oughta slug you!"

"Then, go ahead. Yumi doesn't need to do anything you say!" Nicholas said as he got mad. At this remark Sissi lost her temper and leaned back into her chair angrily staring at Yumi.

------m------

"Johnny, I can't believe that we're almost there!" Hiroki said apprehensively. His hands were shaking and he quickly glanced at Milly.

"Ok, Hiroki, I get it. You're excited, but it doesn't mean that you have to shake so much!" Johnny said and took his arms to stop the shaking. "Stop." Then he let them go and stared out the window.

Johnny: Pov

_"Johnny can I talk to you?" Yumi asked sweetly. _

_"Yes. Anything. Can I help you?" I asked calmly even though this was my one shot at my dream girl. I turned and made a seat for her next to me. She gladly sat down and started to open up. _

_"I really like this guy, but there's kind of an age difference," She said shyly. "I'm not sure how to go about asking if he likes me back. Do you know how?" She batted her long eyelashes at me. I couldn't think strait._

_"Well, do you think age matters?" she asked quickly noticing my loss for words._

_"I don't." I had to answer confidently or this wouldn't work out. "I don't think age matters at all when you truly love someone."_

_"So, do you think he likes me?" she asked. Then she slowly moved toward me. I could smell her breath. _

_"Who wouldn't like you, Yumi?" I answered and leaned in. This would be our first kiss. I knew she had liked me all along. _

_Slowly our lips moved closer and closer together._

_"I knew age wouldn't matter," she said and I could smell her mint scent coming off of her breath. I longed to taste something that sweet._

_Our lips slowly moved even closer and I closed my eyes like she did._

"Johnny! We're here! I can't wait!" Hiroki shouted and stood up. "We can't let Milly get too far away! I have to talk to her!"

"What? Oh, Hiroki!" I sighed. I guess there's always a next time, but I got soooooo close. "Fine, let's go." I sighed again and followed him slowly off the bus. The real Yumi was out there anyway, so I might as well go.

------m------

"Ulrich, you better wake Yumi," Aelita said as she got out of her seat and followed Odd, Jeremie, and William who were already in the aisle way. Ulrich nodded. He turned his head and lightly kissed her ear. Yumi woke up to notice they were leaving.

"You fell asleep about halfway here," Ulrich said and smiled. "Let's go."

Yumi grabbed her bag and climbed out into the aisle. She stepped down onto the parking lot and grabbed Ulrich's hand. Ulrich smiled and walked her toward the resort. They headed toward the group of kids at the front lobby.

Aelita smiled and walked toward Yumi and Ulrich. Odd followed her closely behind. She noticed quickly, and turned around sharply. "Odd, stop following me," she said through her teeth. Odd looked surprised, but stopped and turned around only giving one last glance back.

"Oh, was Odd rejected?" Jeremie asked in a false sympathy. "Did you get shot down by Aelita? Do you need some ice?" Jeremie smirked and laughed quietly. "I knew she wouldn't choose you. Plus, did you see the way she looked at breakfast? She didn't look very happy. Did she, Odd?"

Odd's cheeks got red and he turned around to look back at Aelita. She was smiling and laughing with Yumi and Ulrich. She looked happy. She hadn't looked very happy when he sat next to her at lunch. She had been spacing off and looked upset. Jeremie was right for once. Odd looked sad and turned to pay attention for once.

"And furthermore there will be two rooms for each group. The girls' room and the boys' room," Mr. Delmas said quickly and started handing out keys to the rooms. Odd walked up following Jeremie and grabbed the key with the number 510 on it. Then he headed up to his room.

Yumi and Aelita grabbed their keys to room 511. It was across the hall from the guys. They opened their room and chose their beds. Aelita picked the one closest to the window and put her stuff down.

"What do you say we go and check this place out?" Yumi asked. Aelita and Sissi nodded in agreement and headed out the door. They only got a few rooms down when Aelita stopped short.

"Hold on, Yumi. I have to talk to Odd. I have to tell him. I'll only be a second. I'll meet up with you guys at the small pool," Aelita said quickly before darting back toward the guys' room.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Yumi asked quickly.

"I have to do this," Aelita said somberly.

"Don't be too long!" Yumi shouted and headed down the hallway with Sissi.

Odd was in the hallway with Ulrich when she got to the room. She quickly pulled Odd to the side. "We need to talk."

"Ok, why have you been acting strangely lately?" Odd asked.

"That's what I'm here to talk about. I've made my decision," Aelita said slowly. "You said you'd wait for me, right? Well now you don't have to wait."

Odd started to smile, but before he could say something Aelita started up again. "I'm going to give Jeremie a second chance."

This was not what Odd expected at all. He had expected a 'You don't have to wait because I love you.' He didn't want her to be with Jeremie, but he wouldn't let her know that. "That's great, Aelita. I'm happy for you."

"Great," she said and turned down the hall and ran all the way to the elevators.

"Why did I say that's great? Why couldn't I have told her that I didn't want her to be with Jeremie? Why couldn't I have said that I wanted to be with her and that I loved her?" Odd sat down in the hallway, pulled at his hair, and cried. "I'm so stupid. Why did I have to let her go?"

Aelita stopped by the elevator. She didn't even bother to push the down button. She sank to the floor, started pulling at her hair, and cried. "Why did I have to go with Jeremie? Why can't I just go with my true feelings? Why couldn't I just tell Odd that I didn't want to go too fast? Why couldn't I just tell him I loved him? He said he'd wait." She leaned her head onto her knees and wept. "I'm so stupid. Why did I have to let him go?"

Just then the elevator opened. A boy with dark brown hair walked out. He looked down at her from his height of 5' 7". Aelita suddenly noticed him looking at her and looked up. She quickly tried to hide that she was crying by rubbing her eyes.

"If you're trying to hide the fact that you've been crying, you can forget it. I already know." He smiled and squatted down next to her on the floor. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. Just leave me alone. I don't even know you," she said and turned away from him.

"Something has to be wrong. A pretty girl like you wouldn't be crying for no reason." He smiled sincerely and put his hand under her chin to look her in the face. "You can talk to me."

"I don't even know you," Aelita said and removed his hand from under her chin. "Why should I tell you anything?"

"Well, you look like you need a friend. I could be that friend. By the way, my name's Jared," he said and smiled. Then he stood up and offered his hand out.

Aelita reached out her hand and he helped her up. "Mine's Aelita."

"Ileeta? Strange name. I think I like it," he said and smiled.

"It's Aelita. With an A-E that sounds like I. Then an L-_I_-T-A that sounds like an E. Close enough though. I guess it was nice meeting you," she said and tried to head for the elevator.

"Hold on, Aelita, you're not leaving that fast. You still haven't told me what's wrong." His arms were spread out to block her entrance to the elevator. Even if she could push the call button, it wouldn't do her much good if she couldn't get inside. And, there was no hope whatsoever that she could take down Jared. He was a good head taller than her. In fact, he stood a whole 6 inches taller than her. She wasn't in any mood to fight anyway, so she just sunk back down to the floor.

"I'm sorry," Jared said sincerely as he squatted down to talk to her. "I didn't mean to pry. I just thought you needed someone to talk to. I haven't had many friends at my school. They think I'm either to nice or too shy. I'd never do anything to hurt someone on purpose. That's why they laugh at me. They all play jokes on the teachers. I never participate. I don't like upsetting people. I guess I just can't stand to see people crying. I also don't make friends easily. My only friend just moved a few years ago. I don't have any at all now. Plus, my brothers think I'm too nice so it's not like they'll talk to me either. Well, I guess there are a few people that talk to me at school, but none that come to my house on the weekends, or see movies with me, or just call me on the phone to say hi. That's ok though because they're all pretty mean anyway. I guess when I saw you crying I just got upset because I hate to see people crying, especially girls. There are only two major options when girls cry: 1. another girl, usually her enemy or best friend, has yelled at her and said something mean, or 2. a guy, usually an enemy or someone she really cares about, has said or done something mean to her. Those are pretty much the only two major options. Well, I guess she could have done something stupid and now she's mad at herself, but maybe that only happens to me.

"Anyway, I didn't mean to upset you. You don't have to tell me anything. I just need someone to talk to sometimes. I thought maybe you'd be the same," he paused and gave a half-smile. "Well, I guess I'll go. I really didn't mean to cause you any trouble. Maybe I'll see you around, and just so you know, if a guy did this to you, know that even though you may have met many mean ones, not all of them are that way." He then quickly smiled and got up. Then he started to walk away.

Aelita smiled and wiped her eyes again. "Wait!" she called out. "Jared!" He turned around and smiled. "I do need someone to talk to. Just so you know, you're not the only one. I've done something stupid and I'm mad at myself." Jared walked over and took her by the hand and helped her up. "I want to trust you. There's something about you that makes me want to trust you. It feels like I've known you for a long time. It seems like I could talk to you about anything and you wouldn't judge me or criticize me. It's a weird feeling, but I like it."

"Aelita, I want you to know that I would never get mad at you for anything you would tell me. You can trust me. I would never get mad unless you were trying to hurt someone. I can't take part in that. Anything else you want to talk about I'm up for it," he said with a smile. "Everyone needs someone to talk to, and I think I need to talk to you."

"I think I feel the same way. I think I need a friend who doesn't know me, who won't judge me, and who will listen."

"I can do that."

"Well, Jared, I guess, I've found my new friend."

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	16. Coats, who needs um?

**Ok, i promised XANAWarrior a dedication**

**This chapter is dedicated to you! **

**I chose your name for my OC.**

**Scince I dedictated that chapter to my bf,**

**this one is for you**

**I hope you enjoy!**

**No Matter What They Say**

**Chapter 16: Coats, who needs um?**

Aelita: Pov

"So, do you want to go get a hot chocolate? There's this nice café near the ski slopes. We could get a coffee and talk. Do you want to?" he asked with a smile.

"Well, I really want to, but I promised I'd meet my friends by the pool. I'm already late as it is. Maybe I can meet you there later? Unless you want to come to the pool with me. You can meet my friends, if you want. You don't have to."

"Would your friends even want me around? They don't even know me?"

"I don't know you and I want you around." He smiled and blushed a bit. "Now, are you coming to the pool or not?"

"Will you promise to get a hot chocolate with me later?" He made a cute puppy dog face until I couldn't stand it any longer.

"Fine. I will. Happy?" He nodded and pushed the down button on the elevator.

"That's great!" I said and I smiled.

"It's great to see you smile. You're even more beautiful that way," he said and smiled at me. His eyes were twinkling and it was one of the most beautiful sights I've ever seen. Just then the elevator door chimed and opened, but I didn't want to look away from his eyes. Soon he looked away and walked into the elevator, so I followed. He pushed the B button so that it lit up and I watched the needle go from 5 to B. Then the doors opened and I walked out with him and we headed toward the pool.

Yumi and Sissi were still there when I got there. I saw them before they saw me, and that was a good thing because right before I walked in I remembered that I had been crying and my eyes were probably red. It was a good thing there was a bathroom nearby. I stopped in quickly and checked my face in the mirror. My eyes were slightly red, but nothing that couldn't be passed as an altitude change, so I left the restroom and headed to the pool with Jared.

It seemed as if Yumi and Sissi were sensing the fact that I was there because as soon as I even touched the handle on the door to the pool area, they turned around. I guess it might be that feeling you get. You know the one where you can just sense that someone is right behind you. I know that feeling. It's like when a teacher looks over your shoulder. I don't especially like that one.

"Aelita!" Yumi shouted and smiled. "It took you long enough! I was about to leave without you!"

"We were getting bored in this pool area. The bigger pool is so much more interesting," Sissi complained. "That one has a water slide and a hot tub and hot guys. Only old people come to this one!" She gestured to the old man sleeping on one of the lounge chairs. "Whoa, wait just a minute," Sissi smiled and walked toward Jared, just now noticing that he was there. "Who's this? Maybe hot guys do come to this pool."

I just laughed and it was a good think that Jared did too. I think Yumi was a little suspicious when we laughed at the same time, but there wasn't anything going on, so I didn't have to worry about what she thought.

"My name is Jared," he said as soon as he stopped laughing. "I met Aelita at the elevator. She promised to get a hot chocolate with me later. I promised to come and meet you first."

"I'm Sissi and this is Yumi," Sissi said smiling and starting twirling her hair. "You seem very nice. Do you have to go?"

"You're welcome to come along, unless you want to see the other pool area," Jared said politely. "I've already seen it. I come here almost every summer."

"Oh, we wouldn't want to intrude," Yumi said quickly and before Sissi could say anything she dragged her by the wrist and pulled her out the door. She stopped in the doorway. "Plus, we really want to look around some more. It was nice meeting you Jared." Yumi smiled quickly and dragged Sissi out.

"Yumi!" Sissi yelled as she was dragged away, but still found time to wave goodbye to Jared.

"They seemed nice," he said and smiled. "Now, do you want to go and get that hot chocolate? We can go to that café I was mentioning earlier. That is if you want to. I don't want to force you because you may want to wait until later or…"

"Jared!" I said quickly and stopped him. "You're too nice. If you want to go, let's go. I just have to get my coat if it's out by the ski slopes."

"No, you don't have to. You can borrow mine."

"But, won't you get cold?"

"No, I'll be fine. It's only a short walk outside and it's not snowing, so I'll be fine," he said and smiled sweetly.

"No, really…" I tried to continue, but before I could protest he had already taken off his gray coat and slipped my arms through the sleeves. "Jared! This is almost 3 sizes to big for me. Plus, you'll get cold. You need a coat too!"

"Coats, who needs um? You can push the sleeves up a bit to get them out of the way of your hands. Don't worry about me. I'll be fine. I want you to use it." He smiled and pulled me in the direction of the café. "Come on!"

We got there in no time at all, and I had to admit it wasn't a very long walk outside, and he didn't complain once. I know he was cold though, because he couldn't stop his teeth from chattering through that smile. Even with his teeth chattering it's so beautiful when that boy smiles.

"See, that wasn't bad. I'll get the hot chocolate. You get a table."

I picked a nice table for two by the window and he was back in no time. "Thanks," I said politely when he handed me my cup. He then took the seat across from me. "So you come here every summer?"

"Yeah, we come here all the time."

"Do you and your parents like it here? Well, I'm sure you do if you come so often, but you know what I meant. Will they be looking for you any time soon?"

"Oh. I don't live with my parents. My parents got divorced. I live with my dad and my three older brothers."

"Oh," I said embarrassed by what I had assumed. "I'm sorry."

"It's ok. I miss seeing my mom, but my dad won't let her have any rights. I guess that's one of the reasons I don't like to see girls cry. My dad made my mom cry all the time. To answer your question: he won't be looking for me anytime soon. He's probably off flirting with his new wife."

"Oh, you have a step-mom?"

"Not really. Well, technically. She's about 25 and chesty and so beautiful it'll make you sick to stare at her! I don't really like her. She's only 5 years older than my oldest brother, and only ten years older than me! That's not a step-mom."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't know. You're already 15 and you have a 25 year old step-mom."

"It's fine. Most people with a whole family don't think about that sort of thing," he said and smiled sincerely.

"Well, actually, I don't have a whole family. My mom died at an early age and I have no idea when I'll ever see my dad again. Plus, I don't have any brothers or sisters. I came here with my boarding school," I said. I don't even know why I said that. I just slipped out. I could have lied just as easily. It just felt easy to talk to him.

"Oh, my family is nothing to that. I'm sorry."

We sat for some time after that just sipping our hot chocolate without saying a word to each other. He finally started up a conversation after a few minutes. "So, are you ever going to tell me why you were crying? What did you do that was so stupid that you started to cry?"

"I was stupid. I guess I just cried because I was mad at myself."

"What did you do?"

"There are these two guys I know and they're both my friends. I was going out with one for a while, but I was mad at him so the other started to talk to me and help me get through it. Then I found out they both like me. Odd is moving too fast, but he's really nice and comforting and Jeremie was being stupid, but I've always been with him. Odd said he'd wait for me so I went and told him I liked Jeremie."

"Well, what's wrong then?"

"I don't like Jeremie. I'm in love with Odd. I never realized it, but I am. I really am, and now he thinks I like Jeremie."

"Then you need to go and tell him you don't like Jeremie."

"But, I don't want Odd to move too fast again. I don't want him to get the wrong idea. I should just be happy with Jeremie instead. He likes me so much anyway." I tried not to, but I could feel tears swelling up in my eyes.

"No, Aelita. Don't be unhappy just to make someone else happy. That's not right," he said and scooted his chair around the table and laid my head on his chest. "Don't do anything just to make Jeremie happy. You should follow your heart to Odd. If he loves you as much as it looks like, then when you tell him he's moving too fast he'll slow down."

"Do you think so?" I asked and looked him in the eyes. I wanted to believe him, but it doesn't seem that easy.

"I know so. If I were him I wouldn't pass up a pretty girl like you. I would do whatever she wanted because I wouldn't want to loose her. He probably doesn't want to loose you."

"You really think so?"

"Yeah, you're a beautiful young woman. It's wrong of them to put themselves in front of you or take advantage of you. If they do that they'll loose a really wonderful person," he said sweetly. "Now, dry those eyes and we'll go take a walk."

"That sounds great. Where do you want to go?"

"How about the path in the forest? Don't worry, it's paved."

"Ok, but I have to get my coat first. There is no way I'm going to let you freeze."

"Coats, who needs um?"

"If you don't wear one I'm not going."

"Fine," he said and smiled. Despite my protest, he let me wear his coat all the way back to the room again. I knew he was cold and I even offered it back to him, but he wouldn't take it. He assured me he wasn't that cold. I pretended to believe him, but I really knew.

It didn't take too long to get to my room. Yumi and Sissi weren't there and I didn't run into Odd or Jeremie along the way. It was almost as if I finally got the time I needed without them. I would be on a forest trail for a few hours. I could watch the snow and I could try not to think of either of them.

"Here's your coat," he said holding out for me.

I quickly slid his off and held it out for him. "And here's yours." We both smiled and exchanged coats. Then we headed back out into the snow and towards the trail in the forest. It was even starting to snow lightly like I wanted. A few hours out here would do me some good. I had a feeling that this would be _exactly_ what I needed.

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	17. My Heart Beats to Hear His

**Ok, well i'm sorry about the delay  
****This is the newest chapter  
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**No Matter What They Say**

**Chapter 17: My Heart Beats to Hear His**

Odd was still on the floor crying. His hair was a mess and his eyes were completely red, although no one could tell because he was leaning over his knees that were already curled up to his chest. _How could I let her slip away? _He was still crying when Yumi and Sissi came up and walked past him in the hallway.

"Odd?" Yumi asked.

He didn't look up or respond. He continued to sob on his pants and pull at his hair until he didn't have just one point, he had so many points that they wouldn't even stand up they just fell into his face as well. Yumi jerked her head in the direction of their room and Sissi got the message. She quickly slid the card into the handle and went in, leaving Yumi alone with Odd.

"Odd? What happened?" Yumi asked as she sank down and sat on the ground next to him. Odd continued to sob into his pants. "Odd, what did Aelita say to you?"

He looked up. Yumi could now see his red eyes and the tears running down his face. "I love her, Yumi. I love her so much and she told me she wanted Jeremie. Not me. Jeremie." He paused to let out a sob. "I never thought I'd loose her. I love her more than any girl."

"Why is that, Odd? Why is she so special? There are other girls. You'll find other girls."

"She's just real. She doesn't just talk to me about one thing. I feel like she opens up to me and I feel like I can open up to her. I love the little things about her that normal people wouldn't notice." He shook with a sob and continued. "I love the way she can laugh about things that aren't funny. I love how she sees the small things in people that I can't see. She can tell when I'm upset and I can tell with her. I thought she loved me too." He sobbed even more. "I …I guess I was …wrong…"

"Oh, Odd," Yumi said and pulled his head against her chest and rubbed his back while hugging him. He sobbed into her and she kept rubbing his back. It was almost exactly like that rainy day again. "Odd, I'm so sorry. You'll find other girls."

"No, Yu-Yumi. No, I won't. No one is the same as Aelita. I-I love her. I-I-I don't **want** to find _other_ girls," he said stuttering over the words while in between sobs. "I still love her. I always will."

"Oh, Odd," Yumi said and hugged him deeper. "Just stay around. If Jeremie doesn't turn out to be the one she wants, then you'll be right there to sweep her off her feet before Jeremie can drop her." Yumi sighed and tried to help Odd stop shaking.

"Thanks, Yumi. I-I just don't know if I can w-watch Aelita and Jeremie."

"Just try to be there," Yumi whispered. "It'll be hard, but I know you can do it. I know you can."

Odd slowly stopped shaking. His tears slowly stopped flowing and Yumi slowly pulled out of the hug. Odd quickly wiped his eyes and stood up. "Where is she?"

"I don't know. She said she was going to get a hot chocolate later, but I don't know where," Yumi said and smiled sympathetically.

"Ok, I guess I'm gonna go on a walk. I'd offer for you to come, but I kinda want to be alone right now," Odd said and didn't even bother to fix his hair before turning to leave.

"Ok, Odd, but if you need me I'm always here for you. You can always talk to me if you need someone to talk to," she said and watched him leave.

Odd: Pov

I just kept walking. I couldn't stop. If I stopped I could think, and that wasn't an option. I didn't even take the elevator. That would mean I would have to stop walking. I took the stairs all the way down from five levels. I just concentrated on the movements of my feet-left, right, left, right, left. I just kept walking. I followed my own feet until I was outside and heading toward the forest. I don't even know what I'm going to do out here, but I can't stop walking. On my way to the forest I saw a café. It was pretty nice looking and I was getting hungry. I haven't had anything since lunch and I'm pretty much starved. I was walking around the side towards the entrance and I noticed Aelita. She was sitting in the café leaning her head on some guy's chest. It wasn't even Jeremie.

"NO!" I whispered in a breath. "No," I said again and shook my head in disbelief. I couldn't stand to watch her anymore. My gut twisted and my stomach did flips, and suddenly I wasn't so hungry anymore. I tried my hardest not to break out in tears. It wasn't what I had planned to see. I couldn't take this, not now. I didn't know what else to do. So, I ran. I ran as fast as my stupid, scrawny legs could carry me. I didn't know where to go. I had no clue where I was going, but I was going away. Away from that place. How could Aelita just break my heart for some guy she just met? How could she use Jeremie as an excuse? Was she even using Jeremie as an excuse? Maybe, she wanted them both. Maybe, she was going to go out with both of them, but not me. No, I wasn't good enough. She had to have two people that were better than me. Why did I have to fall for the girl who would never love me? I tried to just stop thinking, but I couldn't so I tried to concentrate on running. I ran faster and faster and soon I came to the forest path, but that didn't stop me. I just ran as fast as my scrawny legs could carry me. I was running so fast and trying to jump over fallen limbs from trees. I tried so hard to see through the snow that was just starting to fall, and the tears that I couldn't stop from streaming down my face. Soon enough I was going too fast, and I couldn't see where I was going and I tripped over a tree limb, flew into the air, fell on my knees and cheek, and skidded to a halt a few feet from the path where I hit the tree that had probably supplied the branch that tripped me. My head hurt, my cheek was probably bleeding, and my pants were now torn to shreds at the knees, not to mention the fact that I had no idea which way I had come from, my clothes were soaked from the snow, and I would soon start to freeze to death. And, if that didn't kill me first, I would die of hunger. And, if I somehow got back alive, I'd have Aelita and her _boyfriends_ to deal with. That's all.

Well, I wasn't just going to lay there on my stomach, so I tried to turn over and actually see how bad off I was. With much pain, I actually got myself turned over to where I was sitting against the tree. I didn't like that tree. I don't think it likes me very much either, but I guess it was useful to lean against. I put my hand to my face and found a few cuts, not to mention that it was hard to move my left hand to my face. I must have fallen on that arm too. My knees were cut worse than my face and my pants were in sorry condition, and even if they weren't wet and full of snow, I'd probably freeze from not having anything over my legs.

I quickly had to think of a way to get myself out of this freezing weather, back on the trail going the right direction, and slowly heading toward the resort. First things first, I had to get up. I tried grabbing onto the stupid tree. No luck. I tried pushing myself off the ground with my good arm. No luck. My legs hurt too bad to stand on, and my shoulder hurt too bad to push myself up. I even tried to crawl back to the path, but after a few inches my knees hurt too badly. I really don't want to give up now. I really want to live to see my friends again, but I tried too many times and nothing worked. I was starting to feel dizzy, probably from blood loss, and looked down at my knees. Noticing the amount of red snow, I tied what was left of my pants around the cuts to stop the bleeding. Unfortunately, this took most of what was left of my energy, and all I wanted to do was sleep. I know if I go to sleep now, I probably won't make it out of this forest. But, sleep is calling my and my eyelids are drooping. I'm…..slowly…..falling……….unconscious.

------m

Aelita: Pov

"This has been great, but I think we might want to turn back soon," Jared said. "It's really starting to snow heavily."

"Ok, we will soon, I just want to go a little farther," I said not wanting to turn around because I didn't want to face either of them just yet. I'm not sure what I am turning away from. Seeing them again is inevitable. I kept walking forward with Jared until we came to a branch that was blocking the path. Jared made this an excuse to turn around.

"Come on. If we go any farther, we'll never make it back in time for my dinner. It's already 5. My dad wants me back for dinner at 6:30 and I'll have to change too," Jared said quickly and pulled on my elbow. He wasn't forcing me and I could have kept going forward, but I knew he wanted to go. I took one final look around me. The farthest place from them I would ever be on this trip was right here. I looked around at all of the trees that were getting weighed down with snow, then moved toward the sky and saw how gray it was, and then I took a final look at the ground and saw how white it was and how it almost blinded you to look at so much white. Then I noticed a piece of cloth lying in the snow. I guess someone had left it behind when they came out here. Maybe they had come out here to get away from their life as well. I walked over and bent down to pick it up.

"Aelita? What's wrong?" Jared asked as he came running over after seeing me fall to my knees and start digging in the snow.

"Someone's here!"

"What?!"

"There's someone-…" My voice trailed off as I uncovered the face of the poor guy buried in the snow. It wasn't just a guy. It was Odd. "Oh no," I whispered and pulled him out from under the snow.

"Aelita? Do you know him?" Jared looked puzzled and concerned. He helped me pull Odd out of the snow.

"This is Odd." I whispered and I couldn't move anymore. I went into shock or something. The next thing I know, Jared's hands are red along with Odd's pants and legs.

"Aelita, no." Jared took more action than I could. He carefully picked up Odd like it was no problem at all. Then he reached his hand down and helped me up. "He's lucky we've found him, but he's lost a lot of blood and who knows how long he's been out here. He could have hypothermia. I'm not going to be able to make it back quickly with his weight. You should go ahead and get help."

"No, I won't leave you or Odd."

"Then, you'll leave me know choice. I'll go ahead without you. I'm probably faster anyway. Try to get him to wake up. Carry him as far as you can, as quickly as you can. I'll come back with help. Whatever you do, stay on the path. That way I will be able to find you."

"Wait! Please stay and help him!" I shouted, almost in hysterics.

"I promise I'll be back soon. This is the only way to help him, Aelita. I have to go," he said. Then he gently handed Odd over to me and started running back to the hotel. All I could do was watch him go. Now it was my turn to wake Odd up. He looked so beautiful, but so in pain. I can't let him suffer. I have to try to wake him. I have to try something. If his heart stops beating, mine will stop just because of loneliness. My heart beats to hear his.

"Odd, it's me. It's Aelita. I'm here. Wake up, Odd. Oh, please wake up," I said loudly as I walked back toward the hotel, carefully carrying him as best as I could. "Odd, please wake up. Please…

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	18. The Pain of the Unconcious Confuses Mind

**Well, here's my new chapter**

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**No Matter What They Say**

**Chapter 18: The Pain of the Unconscious Confuses the Mind**

_What? Dark. Cold. Dizzy. _

_Do I hear a voice?_

_What?_

_This sea is so cold._

_So cold._

_So. Cold._

_It's like I'm swimming._

_Or drowning._

_Yes, more like drowning._

_I try to push my eyelids open. They just can't budge. _

_Listen_

_Listen_

_That light just blinds me. _

"Just listen to me! Please….

"Just….don't-don't stop trying. Please…. I-I can't…. I-I-I can't lose you! No not again. Not now…. Don't give up.

"I need you."

What kind of dream is this?

_I'm so cold_

_Am I still drowning?_

_It's so dark but I'm blinded by a light_

Where is that voice coming from?

"I-I need you! Don't loose hope… not yet… not yet… just wait a little longer and you'll feel better….

"Then all of this p-pain will g-go away…."

What pain?

_I'm just so cold_

_I don't think I can feel pain_

Am I supposed to?

"Please…

"Try to open your eyes…. Please wake up. P-Please… just try."

_My eyelids are so heavy_

_Wait…._

Am I asleep?

What kind of dream is this?

"Please, Odd, just try….

"Can you hear…?"

"Can you hear…me?"

_Yes_

Yes

_I'm trying_

I'm trying

_Where'd the water go?_

_Am I no longer under water?_

WAIT! WHAT?!?!

I'm…Wait…AHHH! WHAT PAIN IS THIS!?

I don't… AHHH… think… I want to wake up…AHH… to this much… AHHH… pain!

"Please… just open your eyes…. Then pain will be over soon.

"I promise. Help is on the way."

"AHHH!" I managed to scream. I believe that was a response she wasn't planning on, but was happy to get.

"Odd! Can you hear me?" she yelled.

I tried so hard to answer, but I can't…Ahh! "AHH!" Too much pain. I… AHH… can't take it.

"Odd, the pain will be over soon. I promise. Just hold on. Keep trying. Try to open your eyes."

What?

_Eyelids are heavy_

_Eyelids don't open easily _

I'm trying.

AHH! More blinding light! AHH!

"ODD! Open your eyes again! I'm here! IT'S ME! Aelita!"

NO! AHH! PAIN! Wait… Aelita?

"AHH…Aelita!"

"I'm right here. Odd, I'm right here."

She smiled at me. It was blinding to see but I could see it. Then she turned away and another voice came. It wasn't hers.

"AELITA! I've found a doctor!"

Doctor!

Doctors remove pain!

I want a doctor!

"AHH!"

NO! Not more pain!

"This isn't going to hurt. This should help the pain. Is there anymore pain?"

AHH!

YES!!!

WHAT!?

_I can't see! The light's gone!_

_The voice is gone too!_

AELITA!

_But_

_Pain_

_Is…_

_What_

_Pain?_

_NO Pain anymore…_

_Just… darkness_

_And more… swimming_

_No more… drowning_

_Just… swimming_

_And… darkness_

_a…g…a…i…n…._

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	19. I Hope to Never be like Him

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**No Matter What They Say**

**Chapter 19: I Hope to Never be like Him**

Aelita: Pov

**"**Yumi, I'm so worried. Talk to me, please! Yumi!" I sobbed. "Please talk to me. I'm so worried about Odd!"

"Jared, please help me," I leaned over to him and pulled on his shirt trying to persuade him to help me. "Please, just help her understand!" His hands were still red. They were red from blood. Odd's blood. Ohh, Odd. "Please help me." He slowly pried my hands off of his shirt and looked at me. He didn't say anything. I turned quickly back to Yumi, crying tears down my face.

"Yumi, I am really w-worried about Odd. I am!"

"If you were really worried, you would have cared enough to let Odd know you liked _him_. If you really cared about Odd, you wouldn't have lied to him. You would have just explained that he was moving too fast. You don't care about Odd," Yumi said and glared at me.

"Yumi. You know that isn't true. You know it!" I screamed at her.

"Ulrich, please. You know I care about Odd, right? I really care about him. I do. Jared, tell them I do," I cried. Jared just stared at me. He didn't say anything. Why was Jared like this, all of a sudden?

"Ulrich! You have to believe me! You know I like Odd. You know I care about him, right?" I ran up to him as a final attempt to persuade someone to believe me. I grabbed his shirt and yanked on it. "ULRICH! You have to believe me!" I pulled at his shirt, crying.

"Get off of him!" Yumi shouted at me. I looked at her face, it was full of anger. I cried harder, the tears flowed from my eyes.

"I said, 'Get OFF of him!' Now, get off!" Yumi shouted. Ulrich pulled my wrists and I let go of his shirt. No body believed me yet.

"Yumi! Why don't you believe me?!?"

"Hiroki. Oh, Hiroki! You know I'm telling the truth, right?" I quickly turned to look at him. His eyes weren't full of hate, like Yumi's. They were full of fear. Fear and sadness. "Hiroki, you know I'm not lying." I ran towards him, but Yumi jumped in front of him. He slowly started to cry and although he normally would try to be brave, he couldn't. He grabbed Ulrich, and tried to stop himself from crying.

"Yumi, you know I'd never hurt him. I'd never hurt Hiroki."

"Just keep your hand off of him," she said sternly.

"Yumi! I wouldn't hurt him! I wouldn't!" I fell to the ground crying. I just couldn't believe that my friends would turn on me like this! I never did anything wrong! I found Odd! I helped _save_ him! Why was Yumi upset?

I stood back up and faced Yumi, "AHHH! Why do you hate me!?! Yumi! Ulrich! Jared! WHY DO YOU HATE ME!? Oh, Hiroki. Why are you doing this? All of you? Odd needs my help. He needs your help! HELP HIM!"

"Aelita, calm down. Odd's being helped right now," Jared said quickly.

I started laughing. I couldn't stop. I couldn't stop at all.

"Aelita, calm down."

"I'm so worried about him!" I said as I stopped laughing all of a sudden. "Why don't you believe me!? I hate you! I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU ALL! Ahh!" I fell on the floor. "Ahh! Why do you hate me! I-I can't breathe! I CAN'T BREATHE! I can't BREATHE!" I started grabbing at my neck. It feels like it's swelling shut. "I can't breathe! Ahh! I can't breathe!"

"Yumi, what's wrong with Aelita?" Hiroki said quietly, still clutching Ulrich, trying not to cry.

"Ulrich, I think she's going into hysterics," Yumi said quickly. "Help her."

"How?" Ulrich asked confused.

"I don't know! How'd she get into hysterics in the first place?" Yumi asked, yelling at him.

"I CAN'T BREATHE!"

"Maybe, it's because you were yelling at her!" he shouted back.

"Guys!"

"Or maybe it's because _you_ wouldn't even talk to her!"

"Guys! STOP IT!"

"It's Yumi's fault!"

"WHAT!?! It is not!"

"GUYS!" Jared shouted, but they continued arguing. "Oh, forget them! Aelita!" He walked up to me. What was he going to do? How could he help me?

"I hate you! I hate you! I can't breathe! Stop it!" I screamed at him.

He wrapped his arms around me and held me to him facing away from him, at a wall. "Aelita. Look at the wall. Look at it. What's on the wall?"

"I HATE YOU! Let me go! I can't breathe! You're killing me! You're killing me!" I squirmed as much as I could, but I couldn't get him to let me go. Why was he doing this? I tried to hit him or break free, but his grasp was too tight around me.

"Look at the wall, Aelita. What's on the wall? I see a clock. Do you see one?"

"I hate you! I can't breathe! I'm suffocating! I HATE YOU!" Why was he doing this? I hate him. Why wouldn't he let go of me?

"Aelita, you can breathe if you try. Now, breathe and look at the wall. Do you see the wall?"

"LET GO OF ME! I can't…I can't breathe."

"Breathe with me. In and out. In and out. Look at the wall and breathe in and out. Do you see the clock? See how it moves its hands slowly around the face?"

"Let go! I-I can't… I can't breathe."

"Breathe in and out. In and out. Breathe with me."

I tried to breathe. I really tried and soon I could. I could breathe again. I could feel air in me, but I didn't want him touching me. I squirmed, but I couldn't get free. I still hate him. I need Odd. Why don't they believe me, when I said I cared about him? "Let me go! Why don't you believe me?! Let me go! I hate you!"

"Aelita, calm down. Odd is being taken care of. Calm down."

"Let me go! Let me go!" I screamed at him, but he just grasped me tighter. It's like he was trying to kill me! "You're trying to kill me! You're trying to kill me, aren't you?

"I hate you, Jared! I HATE you!"

"Aelita, calm down."

"I hate you! Why don't you believe me! I need to help Odd! I hate you! Let me help him!"

"Aelita, calm down. I'm not trying to kill you. Please, calm down. Odd will be fine. He's with the doctors. They'll take care of him," he said and he finally turned me around because I calmed down a bit. I looked into his eyes. They were full of sadness and worry. Whither he was worried about me or Odd, I don't know, but I know he was worried, and I don't know why, but that made me cry.

"You really think so?"

"Yeah, I do. I know you are worried about him, and I know you care about him, Aelita."

I know he was trying to be sincere and I know he is trying to make me feel better, but I just kept crying.

"Oh, you do believe me. I'm so worried. Odd is so important in my life. I couldn't sleep at night knowing I was the one who killed him! Oh, wait. I could have killed him! He still could die! And, it's all my fault!" I screamed. I cried out and squirmed out of his grasp, managing to get away for a few seconds before being recaptured by his arms.

"Aelita, Odd will be ok. Calm down. Don't cry."

"It's all my fault! Oh, Odd! I didn't mean to!" I screamed and flailed my arms and kicked my legs so that he was holding my entire weight, yet, he wouldn't let go. He held me tighter to him. Tears were running down my face as I let out another scream. "ODD! I didn't mean to!" I'm sure everyone on the top of the mountain heard me scream even though we were in a cabin by the hospital, alone.

"Aelita! It's not your fault. We found him. He'll be ok. Calm down. Try staring at the wall again."

"It's all my fault!" I screamed and a stream of tears burst from my eyes.

"Aelita, please calm down," he said sincerely. "It's not your fault. Try staring at the wall again. Look at the wall and calm down." He squeezed me tighter and I struggled to remove myself from his grasp.

"It's my fault! Odd! I didn't mean to! Let me go!"

"I'm sorry, but I can't do that. I know you didn't mean to and it's not your fault. Please, calm down. Do you see the wall, Aelita? Please, look at the wall. There's a clock. Try to match the ticks, or you'll start hyperventilating."

He grasped me tighter and wouldn't let me go. I want him to let me go. I really want him to let me go. "Let me go! Just let me go!"

"I can't do that."

"Jared! LET ME GO!" I struggled and started breathing quicker.

"Calm down, Aelita."

"JARED! I hate you! I need to see Odd! It's all my fault!" I struggled even more to be set free. I tried using my weight against him. I needed to be set free. My tears were clouding my vision.

"He's being taken care of. We'll see him later. Please, calm down."

I had to get him off of me. I have to be set free. He's going to kill me! He doesn't care about Odd! He's just like his dad! "You don't care about Odd!"

"That's not true. I care about you and all of your friends. I won't let you hurt yourself! Stop struggling and look at the wall. Please, calm down."

"JARED! You're just like you dad! You must want to see me cry! You're hurting me! I hate you!" I screamed it before I knew what I did. Then I felt him shaking

_"Stop it you're hurting me!" she screamed from the floor in the hallway. He walked up to her and slapped her again. "Stop it!"_

_"Daddy, why are you doing this?!" Jared screamed. He tugged on his dad's pant leg, and looked up to him with his curious eyes. _

_"Daric! Get your brother out of here!" He shouted. _

_"Daddy! Why are you doing this?"_

_Daric rushed in and picked Jared up and put him on his back. Jared started crying. "Oh, don't be such a baby!" _

_"I'm not a baby! You're just bigger than me. It's not my fault if your 10 and I'm only 5!"_

_"Quit your crying!"_

_"Why is daddy hurting mommy?" Jared looked at him curiously. "I like mommy. Doesn't he like mommy anymore?"_

_"He's just having a fight. He just wants to make sure she does what he wants."_

_"Mommy is always nice to me!" he said and jumped down from his oldest brother's back and ran toward his mom. "Mommy!"_

_"Jared! Get out of here!" his dad yelled at the top of his lungs. Jared looked from his mom, whose eyes were all teary, to his dad's angry face. He started crying "Daric! I thought I told you to get him out of here!"_

_"Jared, please, go play with one of your brothers," his mom said and tried to smile. Jared saw her crying and started crying harder. _

_"Daric!" his dad yelled and turned around to look for him. Only Caleb was there. "Fine, Caleb, you can get him out of here! You're almost as old as Daric anyway! Get him out of here!"_

_"But, dad! I had to do it last time!"_

_"Just do it!"_

_"But, Daric's the oldest! Make him do it!"_

_"Well, you're the second oldest, I mean your already 9 and if you don't want a good wuppin', you'll do what I say!"_

_"Fine," he said and reached down for Jared and half dragged half walked him out of the room with Jared whining the whole way. "Stop your crying! You're such a baby! Dad was right, you are a wimp! She's going to cook us dinner later. Stop whining already!"_

_"But, Mommy!"_

_"Oh, come on! Stop being a baby! I told you to stop whining!" _

_"Mommy!" he shouted, and as he left the hall he could see his dad slap her one last time and yell at her. The last thing he heard was his mom's scream before he was dragged completely out of the hall and shut in a room with his brothers. They were acting as if nothing was happening, and all he could do was cry._

_"He's such a baby!"_

He started crying and I could feel him shake. I thought he was going to loosen his grip around me, but that never happened. He just started shaking. "I'd never do that on purpose. I hope to never be like him. I'd never want you to cry, but I won't let you hurt yourself. Odd is going to be fine. I know you're worried about him, but if I let you go, you're probably just going to do something stupid that would possibly hurt you and that you would regret doing later. I'm not trying to hurt you. I'm sorry."

"Let go of me!"

"I'm trying to help you, Aelita. Please, calm down."

I tried to calm down. Maybe he was right. Maybe he could help Odd. I guess I'll just have to wait to help him. "Fine," I said as I stopped struggling and started staring at the stupid wall. "I'm staring at the wall! Happy?" I let out a deep breath. "I promise to behave if you let me go."

"Fine, I'll let you go, but you have to hold one of our hands," Jared said looked around the room.

"Yumi? Ulrich? Are you love birds finished fighting yet?" he shouted.

"Oh, sorry," Yumi said and blushed. Ulrich blushed as well and Hiroki started cracking up. "How did you do that anyway?"

"My uncle is a psychiatrist."

"I'll hold Aelita's hand, as long as she isn't all psycho anymore," Hiroki said.

"Ok, if you think she's getting out of hand, just yell for one of us," Jared said and let go of me, finally. Then Hiroki reached out for my hand. I grabbed it and smiled wearily.

"So, when do we get to see Odd?" I asked and everyone glared at me. "Ok, ok, fine!"

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	20. I Can Always Change What Happens Tomorow

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**No Matter What They Say**

**Chapter 20: I Can Always Change What Happens Tomorrow **

Aelita: Pov

"I'm sorry. I've got to go now. I'm glad I got to hang out with you for a while. It was fun, for the most part," Jared said then got up and turned for the door. "Maybe I'll see you around sometime, but I'm almost late for dinner as it is. I've got less than 20 minutes!" He turned and rushed out the door. "Bye!" he shouted and he headed away.

"Bye!" I shouted then started to stare at the wall again, bored out of my mind.

"Ok, Aelita, it's been almost an hour since Odd went into the hospital. As long as you can keep yourself calm, we can go and see him," Ulrich said. My spirits rose and I leapt onto my feet.

"Ok, I promise! Let's go!" I shouted. I had gotten so accustomed, for the past hour, to be sitting on a couch in a boring old cabin worrying about Odd, that I really wanted to get out of that cabin, especially to see him. I also forgot that I was still holding onto Hiroki's hand, and I yanked him off the couch pretty hard when I bolted up.

"Oh, sorry, Hiroki."

"Hold your horses, Aelita. I didn't say we were going to go right now. I think Yumi and I should go first and check him out. Then after we see him, you can go with Hiroki," Ulrich said scratching his head awkwardly.

My heart dropped. "No. I've been waiting long enough. I want to see him!"

"We know you want to see him, Aelita," Yumi started to say as if she was trying to calm me down, "but we're not sure you'll be able to contain your emotions. We don't want you to go into hysterics again."

"Yumi, just because I went into hysterics once, doesn't mean that I will every time I undergo a bit of pressure. I'll be fine. I promise," I said trying to sound calm, cool, and collected. Then I headed toward the door.

"Wait, Aelita," Yumi said, calling me back. I looked back at them.

"Even so, we want to go first." Ulrich looked away trying to find anywhere to look except my face. He looked worried.

"Ulrich, what is it? There has to be another reason you want to go first isn't there. You think he's going to die, don't you?" I looked at him. My eyes went wide with shock and fear. "That's the reason you want to go first. You want information from the doctor first. You want to see how he's doing. That way, if he's not doing so well, you can lie to me!" I looked at them, hurt.

"No, no, Aelita. That's not what we we're going to do," Yumi said and tried to calm me down. I felt pretty calm, but I guess she was still worried about me going into hysterics. Ulrich finally looked up.

"Maybe, it's best if we don't see him at all."

"What!? I want to see him!" I shouted. "I've been sitting in this stupid cabin for the past hour and you still won't let me see him!?!"

"Aelita, are you sure this is a good idea? You're already starting to get worked up. I'm worried about you. I don't want you to go back into hysterics. None of us here know how to calm you back down."

I tried to calm myself back down. I took a deep breath and looked away. "Fine."

"It's for the best, Aelita," Ulrich said and started to sit back down.

"What are you doing? When I said, 'fine,' I meant you can go first. I don't care what you say. I'm going to see Odd eventually. If you have to go first, I guess I'll have to deal with it, but I am going to see him."

"Ok, if that's what you want. We'll go first. We'll meet you back here. After we come back, you and Hiroki can go," Ulrich said and headed for the door.

I smiled and Yumi and Ulrich headed away, toward the hospital. As soon as they were out of eyesight, I turned to Hiroki, who was still holding my hand. "Hey, Hiroki."

"Oh, no. We're not waiting until they come back, are we?" Hiroki said looking a little worried.

"Nope. We're going to see him now."

------m------

It didn't take us long to reach the hospital. Hiroki was still holding my hand. I don't know why. Maybe it was because he thought he might be better able to control me if I went into hysterics. Maybe it was because Yumi told him not to let go. I don't know the reason, but I wasn't sure if he really even wanted to. I had a feeling he'd rather be with his friends. "Hiroki, you don't have to stay here." I smiled at him. "You can go. I'm sure you'd rather be with Johnny or Milly, or having some fun. You don't have to stay with me."

He looked up at me and smiled. "Yeah, I'd much rather be with my friends right now," he said truthfully, "but, I'm not leaving you alone that easily."

"Ok, but you can let my hand go if you want. I know you probably aren't enjoying it," I said and smiled sympathetically.

"I don't mind. It's good practice for when I hold Milly's hand," he said. "Besides, I'm not letting you get away that easily." He smirked and pulled me toward the reception desk. "Excuse me, Miss. We're looking for an Odd Della Robbia. Where might we be able to find him?"

A lady in squared glasses looked up at us. She was rather beautiful. Her hair was up in a bun and she looked Japanese. She was quite young, or at least looked like it, and her pale skin was flawless. "One moment please." She looked through her computer and typed his name in. "May I ask who you are?"

"We're his friends," Hiroki answered hastily. "We go to his school."

She looked at us wearily, but agreed to give us his room number. "Ok, be quick. He's in room 615. That's up the elevator, then turn right."

"Thank you," Hiroki answered politely and gave her a big smile. Then he dragged me down the hallway toward the elevator.

"Hiroki, you can slow down." I looked around and people were staring at me being dragged quickly along a hallway by a kid who was a good 5 inches shorter than me. "Seriously, Hiroki. Stop. We're already here; we don't have to worry about being able to see him."

"I thought you wanted to see him," he smirked. "Hmm?"

"I do, but people are staring. Slow down, or walk next to me or something!"

"Fine," he said and slowed down enough for me to keep up with him. We reached the elevator in no time. We crowded in with an odd group of people, probably visiting various sick relatives of there own.

We stopped at the sixth floor and got out, quickly turning left. We stopped abruptly outside of room 615. This time I was the one wanting to rush into the room. Hiroki wouldn't budge. "Hiroki, come on! This is the right room!" I urged him forward, but he wouldn't go. He looked me in the eyes instead.

"Aelita, please stay calm. Promise me, that no matter what you see, you'll stay calm and try to act rationally." He looked at me in a way I'd never seen his young face look before. He looked so grown up in those few seconds.

"I promise."

He slowly walked me into the room. The television was on and the front bed was empty. The curtain was draped around the other bed to create two separate sections of the room. I could see a chair on the other side of the curtain as well as the end of the bed. My heart started to race. _Is he awake or asleep? Please, be awake. Please, be awake._ We kept walking and stepped around the curtain. He was asleep, but looked much better. He had quite a few heating blankets wrapped around him and next to him on the table was a cup of hot cider, which could only mean that he had been awake at one point in time. I sat down on the chair next to the bed and Hiroki stood next to me still holding my hand.

We were only in there for a couple of minutes before a nurse and a doctor came in, apparently to check on him. The doctor was a middle-aged man who was rather short and thin. He looked somewhat nervous. "Hello, I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to ask you to leave. We're going to be doing a few changes of IVs and bandages. You can come back in a few minutes, perhaps. You might want to get something from our Cafeteria, perhaps, or a snack from our snack bar, perhaps," the doctor said and tried to usher us out of the room. "It is quite close to dinner. I think so at least. Perhaps, you think so too. I'd recommend the meatloaf if you're going to the Cafeteria. Perhaps, an orange soda as well. Good-bye. Perhaps, I'll see you in a few minutes." He shut the door in front of us and Hiroki and I exchanged glances.

"Was it just me, or did he say 'perhaps' a lot?" Hiroki asked and I couldn't help but laughing.

"Maybe, we should get something to eat," I said as I looked at the clock. It read: 6:45pm.

"No, we're supposed to be back at the resort for dinner. It's required, remember? The first night, we're all supposed to eat together. Don't you remember? Mr. Delmas told us at breakfast. Weren't you paying attention?"

_Breakfast? Oh right. I didn't understand anything at breakfast. What do I say? What do I say? _"Oh, I must have been in the restroom at the time. What time were we supposed to be there?"

"Oh, it was planned to be at 7:30. I know it's kinda late, but that's good because we're probably not going to get out of here sooner than that."

"Well, I guess we'll just wait out here until they're finished, and hope we don't run into Yumi or Ulrich." I looked around nervously.

"Let's go back inside the room."

"But, the doctor said to…"

"Forget the doctor. I don't want Yumi or Ulrich to find us, and you and I both want to find out how Odd is doing."

"Good enough reason for me," I said and opened the door and walked back to where Odd was lying. The nurse just finished refilling his IV bag.

"Oh, you're back so soon. Perhaps, you should take a few more minutes getting a snack or using the restroom. We're not quite finished." He smiled at us and went back to checking a monitor.

"Excuse me, but could you tell us how he's doing?" I asked, scared to death of how he would answer.

"Oh, sure. I guess it couldn't do any harm," he said and smiled. "He had a mild case of hypothermia, 1st stage almost to 2nd stage, when he was brought in. He's been stabilized at a temperature of 97.5˚. We're keeping him on heating blankets until his temperature becomes normal. He also lost some blood and we're keeping him on some IVs. He must have fallen, perhaps tripped, because you don't get scraped up like that just from sitting down or running into a tree. His knees were cut pretty badly, so we had to put bandages over them. He bruised a bone on his right knee. It's not even a moderate bruise, but we're going to give him a brace just so he won't move it more than necessary. This will also remove some of the pain. He also bruised a bone in his left arm, so it's going to be sore for a while, even though it's just a light bruise. We're going to give him a brace for that wrist, just so he won't move it more than necessary. He had a few scratches on his face, but nothing bad because you can see that they're already gone.

"I expect he'll be out of here in 3 days, perhaps 2, or even by tomorrow late if his temperature goes back to normal by tonight. Any questions?" he asked and smiled at us again.

"No, thank you," Hiroki said because I couldn't speak. I looked at Odd and stared at him. He looked so hurt in both senses. I couldn't stop myself from moving toward him. I started walking toward him and Hiroki wasn't sure whither or not to let me. I felt him trying to pull me back because his hand tightened against mine. I tried to slip my hand out of his and move toward Odd, but he wouldn't let me. I looked back at him, trying to encourage him to let me see Odd more closely. Hiroki looked at the doctor. "Can she sit with him? Just for a little while, on the edge of the bed?"

"Well, I don't know…" I looked at him longingly. Hiroki's hand was still holding me back, but my body was trying to urge me forward and I'm sure Hiroki noticed that he wasn't going to be able to keep me from him for much longer. "Perhaps, just for a little while. He needs to stay under the heating blankets, so please just sit on the edge of the bed. I'll leave you to your friend."

"Will he wake up soon?" I managed to ask.

He took a final glance at me to answer my question. "He needs his rest, but he could wake up. If he does wake up, please, don't stay for long. Perhaps, you could try to get him to go back to sleep, if he wakes up."

"We could always try," Hiroki answered for me, and the middle-aged doctor nodded, smiled, and left the room with the nurse.

I started walking back toward Odd. Hiroki never let go of my hand, but I knew he was starting to get uncomfortable. I sat on the edge of Odd's bed and put my hand that was available under his heating blanket. I wanted to get it nice and warm. It became warm quickly and as soon as it was good and hot, I stroked my hand through his hair. He looked so much better now. So much better than out in that cold forest. His head felt somewhat cool. I made sure that my hand would stay warm. If it ever started to get cold, I'd put it back under the heating blanket. Odd had been cold enough lately. I don't want him getting any colder.

"Aelita, I know you really care about Odd, but I really think we should go soon," Hiroki said after a while. "We can come and visit him tomorrow, if you want. You did well today. You never once gave any signs of going into hysterics. You can come back tomorrow."

"I know. I just wish he would have been awake today. I need to apologize to him. I hurt him, in every way a person can be hurt, and for that I'll never forgive myself until he forgives me. I need to apologize. I can't change yesterday or today, but I can always change what happens tomorrow," I said to Hiroki even though my eyes never left Odd. "Can't we just see if he wakes up in the next few minutes? It's only 7:20. We can get back to dinner in less than 5 minutes. Please, can we wait for a few more minutes?"

"Fine, but only a few," he said and gave in. I turned and smiled at him. I don't know what it was about Hiroki, but in the past hour he has been more grown up than I've seen him in his entire life. He smiled back at me. I started to brush my hand through Odd's hair again. "Aelita?"

"Yeah?"

"Could I ask you a question?"

I turned back toward him. "Sure," I said and smiled. "I don't know how well I can answer it though."

"I know I care about Milly so much, but I don't know if she cares about me in the same way. She's one of the most amazing girls I've ever met, but I just can't seem to talk to her, or tell her how I feel," he said and sighed. "I just don't know how to tell her. I want her to care about me in the same way before I tell her because if I tell her and she doesn't care for me in the same way, I'll look stupid. She's a year older than me and everything."

"Yumi's a year older than Ulrich. Look how they turned out," I said, trying to give him some confidence. "You're a great person. Anyone would like you. You're nice and sweet, and care for others. You cared enough for me to stay with me today instead of leaving to be with your friends. That's a great quality." He smiled at me and I looked him in the eyes. "If I were Milly, I wouldn't know why I wouldn't say 'yes'. You're a great guy, and age doesn't matter." I leaned toward him and kissed him on the cheek. He blushed and turned away. I turned back toward Odd, but out of the corner of my eye I could tell that Hiroki was looking at me and Odd. I took a final sweep through Odd's hair, then down his cheek. Then I turned back to Hiroki. "We can go now, if you want. I don't think he's going to wake up today."

"Maybe, he'll be awake when we come back tomorrow."

"You really don't have to come back with me tomorrow."

"I know, but I want to. Maybe, I'll ask Milly if she'll come up here with me."

"Yeah, maybe. Or maybe you could ask her to get a hot chocolate with you and go to that nice café at the edge of the ski slopes. That way, you can talk with each other, and have something else to do besides sit and watch someone who may or may not wake up."

"Thanks."

"No problem."

"If you ever need me though, I'll always be there for you. Don't count me out, just because I'm younger than all of your other friends."

"I promise." _He really has grown up today. He'll be great for Milly. He may be younger than her, but he can sometimes be more mature._

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	21. Scandalous

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**No Matter What They Say**

**Chapter 21: Scandalous**

Aelita: Pov

"Where in the world did you go?!" Yumi shouted as Hiroki and I came back to the cabin. "No, wait. That was a stupid question. You were with Odd, weren't you?!" She didn't even give us time to respond. "Hiroki! How could you have let her force you into going before us! We told you to wait!" She glared at him and he started to back down. "Just because you've started to want to date girls doesn't mean you have to run off doing whatever one wants just because they bat an eyelash."

"But, Yumi, I…"

"Hiroki! I don't want to hear it! I trusted you to watch her!" Yumi yelled.

"But, Yumi, it's all my fault! You don't need to yell at him!" I tried to interrupt.

"He's my brother! I know what he should have done! He shouldn't have let you go and see him! You should have waited!"

"I didn't want to wait until you came back. I don't even think you went to see Odd, anyway!" I accused. "We were there the whole time, and you didn't even come in once."

"We asked the front desk and she said he wasn't taking any visitors. So we just asked one of the doctors how he was doing!" she said defensively. "How'd you get to see him?"

"We just asked the lady at the front desk. She let us see him," I said quickly.

"Guys!" Hiroki yelled, but we ignored him.

"Yeah, I'm sure she did! You probably snuck in!"

"We did not!"

"Guys!" he tried again.

"Then why didn't she let us see him too?!"

"GUYS!" he yelled loudly. "Shut up! We've got 3 minutes to get down this mountain, if we're going to make it in time for dinner! You can yell at each other later!"

"Fine," we both said simultaneously and headed out the door.

------m------

"Hiroki, I'm sorry for yelling at you. It's just been a long day," Yumi said, apologizing as she walked into the dining area. The last few groups of people were coming in.

"It's no problem," he said quickly. Johnny was waving at him from a table in the corner. He was sitting at the table next to Milly and Tamiya. Hiroki started to walk over there.

"Um…Hiroki."

"Yeah, Aelita?"

"You can let go of my hand now," Aelita said and he blushed.

"Oh, I'm sorry." He pulled his hand out of hers and quickly walked toward Johnny. He took a seat next to him and took a quick glance at Milly.

"Sorry, I'm late."

"It's ok, Hiroki. I saved a table in the best part of the restaurant," He said and gestured towards Milly and Tamiya at the table next to them.

"Thanks, Johnny. You're the greatest."

"I try to be," he said and smiled. Then he turned to listen to Jim.

"Alright! I know we're all excited about being here. I want you all to stay out of trouble. Make wise decisions. Don't do anything stupid. We'll be watching you and checking up on you now and again," he said. "I remember when I was a 9th grader. We used to party and get into trouble. I was once a hooligan."

"You were a hooligan?" a 5th grader asked.

"I'd rather not talk about it. The point is: I got into loads of trouble from doing stupid stuff, so don't. On other terms, you may all get the buffet for free while you're here. There are 3 buffets on the campus that are free and a few other restaurants. Eat your fill tonight and tomorrow you can eat whenever and wherever you want." Jim went back to his seat and everyone started talking again.

"Where were you, Hiroki? I've been looking for you. You said you were doing something with your sister and some of her friends, but I didn't know it would take 2 hours! You're lucky I saved us a table in the best part of the restaurant. I was getting worried when you didn't come."

"I'm sorry, Johnny. I was visiting the hospital."

"The hospital?! Who do you know there?"

"You remember Odd, right?"

"Yeah."

"Well, he got injured, and he's in the hospital. My sis asked me if I wanted to visit. I said I would and I just got stuck up there for a while. You see, Aelita was having a fit or something and Yumi wanted me to hold her hand, and I had to because if I didn't I'd get yelled at, and I don't like getting yelled at so I…"

"Hiroki. Enough already. I get it, but you really held hands with Aelita?" Johnny asked shocked.

"Yeah, why?" Hiroki asked confused. "I mean it wasn't like it was because we like each other."

"Ok. So, how did it feel?" Johnny asked.

"I guess it felt good. I almost forgot her hand was even there. Now, enough about that, I'm hungry. Let's go to the buffet." Hiroki got up and headed to where the long line was stretching around the salad bar and the plates.

"Ok, I'm coming."

------m------

"Tamiya?"

"Yeah? What is it?" she asked as she put some macaroni on her plate and headed toward the next buffet table.

"I think I saw Hiroki staring at me when he came in. I wasn't sure, but I just saw him look over again."

"I told you he liked you. Just admit I'm right, Milly," Tamiya said and headed back to their table smiling. Milly quickly followed behind her.

"Alright, alright. Maybe, he does. What should I do?"

"What do you mean by that?"

"I mean, he's kinda staring at me as we speak," she said and lowered her voice to a whisper. "Should I pretend I don't see him, or what? Look over? Wave?"

"I don't know. Depends on whither you like him or not, I guess," she said and took a bite of her chicken. "Do you?"

------m------

"Hiroki! Stop staring. She's bound to notice sooner or later."

"Well, it's not like I can just walk up and talk to her."

"Well, look away. If you don't, you'll seem stalkerish. Focus on eating. Think of something to talk about."

"Like what?" he asked as he stared into his food and focused on taking a bit of his salad. "How was your first day here?"

"Um…fine I guess."

"Well, that's good."

"Dude, she's totally looking over here."

"What?" Hiroki said and looked over.

"No! Don't look!" Johnny said then sighed. Hiroki quickly looked away.

"Thanks a lot, Johnny. Is she still looking?"

"No. Keep talking. What happened to Odd?"

"Oh, just mild hypothermia. Nothing too bad. He might even be out tomorrow. Aelita's still pretty worried though. She thinks it's her fault because Odd saw her with Jared."

"Jared Toole? He's a 6th grader! Why would she be with him?!"

"No, no. I don't know what his last name was, but he's some guy who's here with his dad and brothers. He's 15 and apparently Odd saw him with Aelita. Odd got jealous and ran into the forest, tripped and fell. Then he couldn't get up, so he was stuck in the snow gradually getting colder."

"Wow, Aelita must be feeling pretty bad. Don't look."

"What? Why? Is she looking over?"

"Yeah," Johnny said and took another bite of chicken.

"Who's she looking at? You, me, or someone else?"

"I think she's looking at you, but I'm afraid to look again."

"That's ok," Hiroki said. Then he grabbed a new plate and stood up. "I'm going up to get seconds. Look over at her and see if she watches me walk up there."

"Ok, I will. I'll nod to you if she watches you. If she doesn't I won't do anything. Just make sure to look only at me and not at her. Ok?"

"Ok. I'll be right back." He headed up to the buffet for the second time and got some more food. Mostly mashed potatoes and sushi, which would be an odd combination for anyone but Hiroki. Then he turned and looked back at Johnny wearily. Johnny nodded his head quickly. Then he went back to eating. Hiroki smiled widely as he walked back and took a seat. "So, she was?"

"Yeah."

"What should I do? Go talk to her? Stay here? Wave?"

"Let her make the first move. If you were going to do anything, you should have done it last night."

"I guess, but I still have tonight. I could always ask her to take a walk with me."

"Ask who to take a walk with you?" Tamiya asked as she walked up to their table.

"Why do you wanna know?" Hiroki asked trying to keep calm.

"Because, I know someone who would like to take a walk with you, but is too shy to ask you herself."

"Well, who is it?" Johnny asked quickly and Hiroki glared at him.

"That's alright, Tamiya. I don't need to know. I was just planning on taking a walk with…um…Aelita."

"Oh, ok then. I'll leave you guys alone then," she said and walked back to Milly.

"Hiroki!" Johnny whispered and glared at him. "What did you do that for? She was about to tell us who likes you."

"I don't care. I don't want to know. I don't want to sound desperate."

"Why did you say Aelita? Why not Julia or Clisté? They're at least in our _grade_! Aelita's 3 years older than you! Plus, that could get Aelita in trouble. From what you've told me, she's having enough guys swooning over her at the moment. You don't need to have people talking about you and her too. You don't like her, do you?"

"Well, no. She was just the first person I could think of. Come on, Johnny. Let's go."

"Ok, Hiroki," Johnny sighed. He looked back over to Milly and Tamiya. Milly was staring strait at Hiroki and Tamiya was shaking her head. As they were walking out, Johnny caught Tamiya's glance. She looked sympathetically at him and he just shrugged and followed Hiroki out of the restaurant.

------m------

"Yumi, I'm heading back up to the room," Sissi said and turned to leave. "You coming or what?"

"If I've told you once, I've told you a million times! I'm not going to go out with you. I love Odd. Why can't you accept that?" Aelita said exasperatedly at Jeremie.

"Yeah, I guess," Yumi replied and turned to leave with Sissi.

"But, Odd!" Jeremie said disgustedly. "He's just…not you're type. He's got the brain of a mule! And, it's not like he knows you at all."

"He knows me better than you! And at least he's a caring mule!"

"Hey! Wait up! I'll come with you guys," Ulrich said and stood up facing Aelita and Jeremie. "It's better than hearing them fight all night."

"I'd rather have a caring mule than a computer obsessed cyborg that doesn't care about anyone but himself!"

"Ok," Sissi said and smiled at Ulrich. "You can hang out in our room."

"I care about you!" Jeremie countered.

"Yes, but we all know you don't _love _me, Jeremie! And, that's something that Odd does that you don't. Odd loves me!"

"Anything's better than staying here," Ulrich said looking at them for a last time before leaving with Yumi and Sissi.

"Odd isn't even here tonight! How do you know he isn't with another girl!?"

"I just know he isn't! He loves me. I love him. Jeremie, just get with the picture. I know it's hard, but you can't keep thinking I'll go out with you just because you saved me. I have free will!"

Yumi took a final look back at them.

"Yumi, aren't you coming?" Sissi asked.

"I'm worried about Aelita. Jeremie got a little out of hand last time. You remember, Ulrich. Don't you?"

"Yeah, I remember. He wouldn't hurt her again though," Ulrich said reassuringly. "Would he?"

"You can't just leave me like this! I thought we were meant to be together! You always loved _me_. When did _Odd _come into the picture!" Jeremie exclaimed and stood up looking angry. "I have always cared about you. I _saved _you."

"Odd came into the picture the night I met him on Lyoko," Aelita said lowering her voice to a whisper. "I have always liked him, but not as much as you. The night you forgot about me for your stupid computer was the night he really made himself look less like a good friend and more like a boyfriend. And a better boyfriend than you would ever be!"

"I'm worried," Yumi said looking at Jeremie.

"I'll stay down here if you want," Ulrich said and smiled a small crooked smile which seemed to say 'please don't make me do this'.

"You don't have to, Ulrich. I'm sure they'll be fine. Do you think we could have someone watch them?" Yumi asked.

"I was always nice to you, Aelita! Always!"

"You mean when you weren't paying attention to your computer. Is that thing more important than me? Which would be harder on you? My death or if you're computer crashed!?" Aelita challenged.

"Aelita, you're not being fair!" Jeremie demanded.

"Answer the question!" Aelita yelled.

"Like Jared?" Ulrich asked Yumi "Do you think we should get him to watch her?"

"He's done so much for her already. I don't want him to feel obligated. Plus, I don't know how to reach him," Yumi said shaking her head. She pondered other people in her head as she watched the restaurant clear out. She heard a group of girls talking as they went out and overheard something that made her listen in to their conversation.

Yumi nudged Ulrich and pointed to them. Ulrich looked over and listened in.

"I mean, what is Aelita thinking?" one of the girls asked. She was short and blonde, most likely a 5th or 6th grader. "She wants 3 guys now?"

"I heard 4!" a cute redhead piped in. She was taller and most likely a 5th or 6th grader too.

"Wasn't one of them her own cousin?" another said. She was also blonde. Her hair was in a ponytail. Yumi recognized her as Clisté from Hiroki's grade.

"Yeah, I heard that too, Clisté. I mean, really," the redhead said.

"What is she thinking? I heard they were all different ages," the blonde said quickly.

"Yeah, there was Jeremie and Odd who are her own age," Clisté said smirking, "but there was also this 15 year old who doesn't even go to this school, and get this: Hiroki Ishiyama!"

Yumi's eyes widened and listened more intently. Ulrich looked over to see Yumi getting angry, although he wasn't sure if she was angry and Hiroki, those girls, or Aelita.

"Are you kidding?! Isn't she an 8th grader? He's in our grade!" the redhead said shocked.

"You're right, Kyra! She is in 8th grade!" Clisté replied quickly. The redhead, apparently named Kyra, smiled proudly.

"I heard she doesn't even like them all. I mean look at the way she's yelling at Jeremie," Kyra said gesturing toward where Aelita and Jeremie were sitting and arguing.

"Yeah, I guess so. Maybe 4 was too many for her," Clisté said and laughed.

"Or maybe, 4 people like her and she doesn't know who to choose! Maybe, she is finally narrowing her selection down," the blonde said and laughed.

"That's funny, Liana," Clisté said laughing some more. "Who do you think she'll choose?"

"My bet's on the 15 year old! Every girl loves an older man," Kyra said and smiled.

"Well, I'm going for her cousin! Scandalous!" the blonde, apparently named Liana, smirked. "What about you Clisté?"

"She'll choose Hiroki. We all know how she walked in with him. Holding hands!" Clisté said and they all laughed and left the restaurant.

"Did you hear that, Ulrich?"

"Yeah, I heard. You think we ought to tell Aelita?"

"Yeah, but not right now: after they finish arguing. I don't want to interrupt that," she said and pointed to where Aelita was almost crying and Jeremie was on his feet staring down at her angrily.

"Let's head upstairs then," Ulrich said and turned back to Sissi who stood impatiently.

"I'm still worried though," Yumi said.

"They'll be fine. Let's go," Ulrich urged. He grabbed Yumi's arm and headed out.

"Finally!" Sissi said and headed up in front of them.

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	22. Not Meant to Be

**Well, here's the new chapter  
It's a songfic chapter  
It goes with  
Theory of a Deadman's Not Meant to Be  
I hope you enjoy it!**

**No Matter What They Say**

**Chapter 22: Not Meant To Be**

"Jeremie! Stop!"

"Aelita! I'm not finished talking yet!"

"Well, I'm sorry Jeremie, but I am," she yelled. "If you can't accept the fact that I love Odd, than I guess you'll just have to be without me. I'll go. You don't have to. I'll save you the trouble. Because I know you don't care where I go! You just need you're computer! That's all you need!"

"That's not true! I need you!"

"No you don't!" she accused. "You only need you're computer and your brain. All you can about is work! School and homework! Stupid things! I can't believe you anymore! You don't care about anything anymore!"

"Aelita! Don't say that! I care for you!"

"Yeah? Do you?"

"Yes, I do. I care for you more than Odd ever will!"

"Odd doesn't just _care _for me. He _loves _me!" Aelita cried. "And, I love him!"

"Aelita, it won't work out! You're cousins!"

Aelita's stare grew harsh. "You and I both know we aren't cousins, Jeremie. You and I both know that."

"But, Aelita it still won't work out. You're just another girl Odd seems to want to go out with. You're like all the others. He dates them for a day or two and then they get tired of him. He does something stupid, or he stops liking them, and then he moves on to the next girl in line," Jeremie countered. "What makes you think you're any different than any of those girls? What makes you think he likes you any better? I care for you, Aelita. I care for you much more than Odd ever will!"

"Jeremie! What you don't see is that Odd loves me! He does! I'm not like all the others girls he's dated. I'm special to him! I love him, and he loves me! Can't you see that Jeremie? Are you really that blind!?" she countered and stomped away from the table.

"Aelita, don't do this! Please, I-I-I, wait!" Jeremie pleaded after her and she turned around. She looked sad. Her eyes were starting to turn red. He didn't want to see her like that. He didn't like seeing her like that. He had to force himself to stare her in the eyes.

"Why should I?" she demanded. "Why should I wait? Why should I stay here, when you didn't go to see me? Why should I wait? I need to go."

"Please wait. Aelita, I-I-I want to tell you something. I-I need to tell you something, and it's very hard to do."

"Just spit it out!" she shouted. He stayed silent. She turned away again and started to leave. "I need to go."

"Aelita, I'm sorry!" he yelled before she could leave. She stopped. "I really care about you. I didn't mean to miss the shot. I'm really sorry. I know it was important to you. I just was trying to apologize and then you brought up Odd, and I couldn't handle it. I care for you, but I just, I'm not sure I really truly…. I just."

_It's never enough to say I'm sorry  
It's never enough to say I care  
But I'm caught between what you  
Wanted from me, and knowing  
If I give that to ya  
I might just disappear._

"What are you trying to say? That you don't love me, but you don't want anyone else to love me?" she accused with her back still turned away from him.

"No! No!"

"Well," she insisted, "that's what it sounds like!"

"That's not what I'm trying to say!"

"Well, then, what are you trying to say?"

_Nobody wins when everyone's losing_

_Oh, it's like_

_One step forward and two steps back  
No matter what I do you're always mad  
And I can't change your mind,_

"I guess, I'm trying to say that I really care about you, and I just didn't expect you to be running off with Odd! I was just jealous that I couldn't be the one you wanted. I mean, it's just that Odd can have any girl he wants, and…." He trailed off and looked down at his feet.

"And, what? He stole _your_ girl? He stole me away from you!? Is that it? Did he take your _property_ away from you?"

"No, no. I mean, he took the only girl that ever gave me a second glance. You're the only girl that ever saw more than just a brain in me. You're the girl I found and thought was the most amazing person ever," he insisted and looked up. Aelita still had her back to him.

_Oh, it's like_

_Trying to turn around on a one way street  
I can't give you what you want  
And it's killing me and I, I'm starting to see  
Maybe we're not meant to be_

"Jeremie, you really think that?" she whispered. Then, she turned around slowly.

"Yeah, I do. I'm just starting to realize that: it's not only supposed to be about what I want. It's supposed to be about what you want. I guess I tried so hard for you to want me that I never noticed that you wanted someone else. I tried to impress you, but I guess you just wanted someone to be with."

_It's never enough to say I love you  
No, it's never enough to say I try  
It's hard to believe that's there's  
No way out for you and me  
And it seems to be,  
The story of our life_

"Really? You did? Then, why weren't you with me more often?!?"

"I guess I just didn't know what you wanted. I thought that you'd be happy if I was trying to work on Lyoko."

"I was happy, but you wouldn't let me do anything fun! Jeremie, it was like being trapped in your room working all day and never having fun at all! I guess, Odd was just the person who showed me I could have fun. I could bend the rules and still be able to be me. I wanted to do more that waste my day in a room with a computer for company."

"Yeah, and I guess I just have to be happy for Odd and you. I guess we're just moving backwards. It's like we're moving away from each other. I guess we just weren't supposed to be together. If you really love Odd and he loves you," Jeremie sighed, "I'll back off, or else we both lose."

_Nobody wins when everyone's losing_

_It's like one step forward and two steps back  
No matter what I do you're always mad  
And I can't change your mind, oh_

"You'd really let me go?" Aelita asked. Her eyes were getting redder. Tears were forming. "You'd really let me be with Odd? After all of the stuff you've said and done? After all the fights and accusations, you'd let Odd and me be together?"

"Yeah, I think I have to."

_It's like trying to turn around on a  
One way street. I can't give  
You what you want and it's killing me  
And I, I'm starting to see  
That maybe we're not meant to be  
_

"So, you'll be fine with Odd and me? You won't be jealous? You won't accuse us of doing things? You won't fight about it? You won't hate him or… me…." Her voice trailed off.

"Aelita, I could never hate you. I can't promise that I'll be happy about you and him being together, but I won't be angry."  
"You're really ok?

"I'm losing the best thing that's ever happened to me, but I'll be ok eventually. I think I have to be. But, if you change you're mind, I'll be here. There's always time to turn around and come back. We can make this work out. I can make this work out! You can still be with me. I can change."

_There's still time to turn this around  
Should we be building this up  
Instead of tearing it down  
But I keep thinking  
Maybe it's too late.  
_

"Jeremie, it's too late. I love him," Aelita stated firmly. "There isn't anything you can do. I don't want you to change. I want Odd."

"I can't change you're mind then?" Jeremie asked a final time.

"I'm sorry."

_It's like one step forward  
And two steps back,  
No matter what I do  
You're always mad  
And I, can't change your mind, oh  
_

"It's ok, I guess. I'm just glad you'll be happy. At least you'll be happy. And, if he's ever mean to you, I'll be happy to yell at him," Jeremie said and tried to smile, but wasn't able to. He looked down away from her. He didn't want to face her any longer.

_It's like tryin' to turn around  
On a one way street  
I can't give you what you want  
And it's killing me and I,  
I finally see,  
Baby we're not meant to be  
_

"Thank you," Aelita whispered and wiped the tears from her eyes. "I still want to be friends if that's ok."

"I don't know if I can."

"You don't have to," Aelita said sadly. "It's just…I still want you as a friend."

"I still want you as one too. I just want you as more than a friend."

"We don't have to be as close. Take your time. I know this is hard for you. So, are we still friends?" She asked.

He looked up and shrugged. "That's ok with me. I'm sorry I was so stupid. I guess we just weren't meant to be. I still want you to know that I care about you, and I'll never find another girl as great as you," Jeremie mumbled and wiped a tear out from under his eye. "I'm sorry I hurt you."

_  
It's like one step forward,  
And two steps back,  
No matter what I do  
You're always mad,  
And I, Baby I'm sorry to see,  
Maybe we're not meant to be_

"It's ok now. I forgive you," Aelita said and gave him a small quick hug. "I have to go. It's important."

"Wait! Where are you going?"

"I have to go. It's important. I'll see you around." She turned and ran out the door, leaving him standing there alone in the empty restaurant. He wiped his eyes and watched her leave.

"Maybe, we're not meant to be," he whispered to himself and a worker started to put chairs on the tables and sweep up. They all had left for the night. Practically everyone in his school that had come on the trip had seen him yelling at Aelita, and it would be all over the resort by the next morning.

"I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to ask you to leave," he said politely. "It's time to close up."

"What time is it?"

"10:03."

"Thanks." Jeremie nodded to him and slowly walked out of the restaurant with his hands in his pockets. Then he headed toward the elevator so that he could head up to his room. He pushed the up button and the doors opened. There wasn't anyone inside. He pushed the button that designated the 5th floor and sat down on the ground. He dropped his head into his hands and mumbled to himself.

"Maybe, we're not meant to be."

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	23. Premonition

**I hope you like this chapter  
I really enjoyed writing this one!  
Please enjoy.  
I'm dedicating it to my boyfriend.**

**No Matter What They Say**

**Chapter 23: Premonition **

"Yumi!" Aelita shouted as she ran into their room. "I…whoa!" She stopped as she realized Yumi and Ulrich were kissing. She turned to Sissi who was reading a teen magazine and didn't look very happy. "How long have they been sucking face? They're never like this."

"Oh, I don't know, maybe 5, 10 minutes," Sissi said, guessing. "I didn't really care to watch. It started with: 'Ulrich, how long have you guys been going out?' and ended with 'Oh, Ulrich, you remembered our anniversary!' Stupid. I can't believe I had to ask the question. I could have killed myself for trying to be friendly."

"Well….any idea when they're gonna stop?"

"Not a clue," Sissi said nonchalantly and flipped the page of her magazine.

"Well, do you think they'd mind if I broke them up for a minute?"

"Be my guest. If you can break them up, go for it," Sissi replied without even looking up from her magazine. "I've already tried."

"Ok." Aelita walked up and stood in front of Yumi and Ulrich. She stared at them for a moment before getting uncomfortable. She looked away, but tried to break them up. "Yumi? I kinda need to talk to you. Ulrich? Can I talk with you guys? I know you're busy, but you can go back to sucking face when I'm finished." They didn't move away from each other. "Ok. Well, I'll go find Jared! I'm sure he'll care about me!" They didn't move.

"Wow, are you joking me!" Aelita complained. "Hey! Yumi! I think Hiroki's in trouble!" They kept kissing as if they didn't hear her. "Ulrich! Sissi took all of your clothes and threw them out the window!" Aelita expected them to do something, but they didn't.

"Hey! Really, you had to drag me into this!?"

"Oh get over it, Sissi! They still didn't move. Should I just pry them away from each other?" Aelita asked.

"Depends on how important your question or information is."

"Ulrich! William's come to steal Yumi from you!" Aelita shouted at him, but neither one of them moved to do anything about it. "Wow. You guys are so stubborn."

"Well, you can always come back later," Sissi said and sighed.

"Well, Sissi, I can't believe I'm saying this, but I want you to come with me."

"What!? Where?"

"The hospital."

"Ewwwww. No! I could get infected by all of those germs just floating around there. Then I might get sick and miss all the fun. I'm not going! Get somebody else to go with you! I'd rather stay here with the kissing couple," Sissi said and motioned to Yumi and Ulrich who were all over each other.

"Fine. I guess I can't force you. I'll go find someone else to go with me." Aelita left the room and headed to the elevators. She got in and headed down all the way. She looked around the lounges, the restaurants that were open, and the main lobby, but she couldn't find anyone to go with her. She thought about calling Jared but remembered that she didn't have his number, and so she headed out toward the hospital by herself.

Aelita walked quickly to the top of the mountain and headed inside. The same receptionist was there. She already knew what room he was in though, so she didn't bother stopping to see if she was allowed to visit him. She hopped in the first elevator she could find and went up to Odd's floor. She went down the hallway and was stopped right outside of Odd's room.

"Excuse me, miss, but he can't have any visitors. We won't allow it," a nurse said as she noticed Aelita walking into his room.

"Oh, well, you don't understand. I'm his girlfriend! I have to see him!" Aelita said and smiled.

"Well, we're monitoring his sleep at the moment, so we don't care who you are. He can't be disturbed. We are checking his sleep habits. That means he has to be asleep. He can't be woken up."

"I don't care! I just need to see him!"

"Miss, I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

"I need to see him," Aelita said gritting her teeth. She tried to calm herself down. "I don't care what I have to do to get into this room, but I will do anything in order to see him."

"Miss, I don't think you understand what…"

"Oh, I understand what you mean perfectly, and quite frankly, I don't care. I've been through so many fights over this guy and about this guy. I've been worried about him since he came in here! I've walked all the way from that resort to this hospital by myself in the snow in order to see him, and I'm not leaving until I see him."

The nurse looked down at Aelita and glared. "I'm not authorized to let anyone into this room. That means everyone. No exceptions!" she stated firmly. "I don't care what you ask me. You aren't getting in this room."

"Ok, lady! Listen up! You don't know what I've been through! I've put up with being made fun of, fights, injury, more fights, walking all this way, more fights, and to top all of that off, I feel responsible for getting him in here in the first place! I don't care how I get in there, but I want to apologize. I've been through too much to 'Come back later.' I'm getting in that room."

"Listen, I don't care what you've been through. I'm just following my orders, and my orders told me not to let him have any visitors. If you want to get in that room, you better find someone else to let you go in. I'm not going to let you. Go talk with the front desk!" She retorted and crossed her arms. Aelita stood her ground. "Or shall I have to call security?"

Aelita sighed and headed toward the elevators. She waited over by them until she saw the nurse pass by. As soon as she was out of sight, she headed back to the room and quietly snuck in. She found Odd still asleep in the same bed. He didn't look like he'd been moved at all. The only difference was that the braces were put on now. Aelita sat down on the edge of the bed and looked into his face. It looked better than before. She could hardly even recall the memory of him in the snow without cringing. Back then he looked so cold and pale. She shivered at the thought and put her hands under his heating blanket. As soon as they were warm she ran them through his hair just as she had earlier that day. She was going to lie down next to him but decided against it. She looked at him longing to be closer and to have him be better. She sighed and stood up. She wouldn't be able to apologize for what she had done until another day. She ran her hand through his hair again just as that same nurse walked in.

"What are you doing in here!?" the nurse whispered in an outrage. "You're not allowed to be in here. You could be disturbing the patient."

"I told you I would find a way in," Aelita said innocently. "I warned you and everything."

"Ok, well I've warned you as well. Get out now, or I'll call security. I don't mean out of the room either, I mean out of the building."

"Fine! I'll leave, but I'm not happy about it! I will come back!" Aelita insisted. She walked towards the door. As a final thought she asked a last question. "What time should I come?"

"How about noon tomorrow? He might even be awake by then."

"Fine. Noon."

"Goodbye," the nurse taunted as she closed the door behind Aelita.

Aelita headed toward the elevator and out the building. She stepped outside into the snow and headed back to the resort. All she could think about was Odd. She made it back to the resort in not time and headed back up to her room. She walked in and Sissi was still on her bed, asleep on top of her teen magazine. Yumi and Ulrich were still engrossed with each other on Yumi's bed. Aelita didn't so much as give them a glance as she grabbed her pajamas and headed to the bathroom to change into them. Once she was changed she came back out and got into her bed. She checked the clock on the side table. It read 11:15. Yumi and Ulrich had been together for hours. They were breaking Jim and Mr. Delmas's rules about boys and girls staying in their own rooms after 10. If he came in, they would be in so much trouble, but Aelita was too tired to care. She barely even laid her head down on her pillow before she was asleep. She hadn't even bothered to turn off the lights or send Ulrich back to his room.

------m------

"Ulrich," Yumi said as she broke away from him for the first time in hours. "I'm getting uncomfortable."

"I'm sorry," he said and backed away.

"No, not like that. These clothes are making me uncomfortable. Jeans aren't the most comfortable things in the world, and even up here in the mountains, I'm getting hot in this shirt," she said and squirmed a bit. "Do you mind if I change into my pajamas?"

"Not if you don't mind me changing into mine."

"Ok, deal. You go change, and I'll change and you can meet me back here." Ulrich nodded in agreement and left quietly to get changed. Yumi hopped off of the bed and changed quickly. Then she turned off the lights by Sissi and Aelita's bed. Ulrich knocked on the door as soon as she was back on the bed and she called for him to come back in. She took a quick look at the clock as he sat down on her bed. It read 12:56. She didn't even have time to react to how exhausted she should have been. Ulrich was too close to her and she was too enticed by him.

"Now, where were we?" Ulrich asked as he pulled closer to her and wrapped his arms around her.

"Just about here," Yumi said sweetly and pulled him closer. He blushed a bit, but she smiled and he kissed her tenderly. They fell onto her bed and kept kissing well into the next morning. At about 2am Yumi pulled away again.

"Ulrich."

"Yeah, Yumi?" he asked and kissed her neck sweetly, a few times.

"We need to get some sleep," she said as she ran her hands through his hair.

Ulrich was taken aback. "You want me to stop?"

"Oh. It's not that I don't love what you're doing, because I do. It's just that it's so late and we're going to be so tired in the morning if we don't stop soon."

"So it's not me?"

"No."

"So you want me to stop?"

"Yes. I mean no," Yumi said and smiled and pulled him closer again, "but we have to."

"But, if you don't want to stop, and I don't want to stop, then why should we stop?" he asked and started kissing her neck again.

"Because…Ulrich, I just…. We need to…. Um, we…." His kissing her neck made it hard for her to think. "We… um, we need to…."

"We don't need to do anything."

"But, Ulrich…."

"But nothing. I love you, Yumi. When I'm around you I can't even think about sleeping. All I want to do is be close to you and hold you in my arms. I can't think about anything else, let alone sleep," he said sweetly.

"Well, we're going to be awfully tired if we don't."

"Then, let's be tired. We can sleep in until noon or later. I don't want to leave you Yumi. I'm not leaving you."

"I wasn't talking about you leaving the room. We just need to get some sleep. You can stay here," she said and ran her finger down his arm. Ulrich's eyebrow twitched slightly.

"Um…yeah, Yumi I-I don't think…."

"Oh, come on. We're not gonna do anything! We've been together at my party. That was fun, wasn't it? I mean really, Ulrich. We need to get some sleep."

Ulrich pulled her in tightly and gave her a strong kiss on the lips. Then he ran his hands through her hair before pulling away. "Fine. We'll sleep. But, tomorrow I have something special planned for you. I knew we had to eat with the whole school tonight so I cooked up a surprise for you tomorrow."

"Oh, Ulrich, you didn't have to. You know I love you. I know you love me. I don't need anything more."

"I wanted to. I love you."

They kissed a final time. Then, Ulrich turned off the light next to her bed and wrapped his arms around her. He lied down and Yumi lied next to him. They were so close that they could hear each other's breathing and could feel each other's heart beating. Then they both closed their eyes and tried to fall asleep. Soon enough Yumi was asleep and so was Ulrich.

------m------

_Yumi: Pov_

_It was midnight and Ulrich was running toward me with a bouquet of roses in his hands. How thoughtful of him. He knew I love roses. He's so kind. I smiled at him as he handed me the roses, picked me up and twirled me around in the air. He's so strong and handsome. As he set me down on my feet, he gave me a kiss on the cheek. Then he grabbed my hand and pulled my through a big lawn. It had the greenest grass I had ever seen in my life and in the center was a picnic blanket. As he sat me down I recognized all of my favorite foods and my favorite candle, midnight amethyst. I smiled at him and he smiled at me and we continued to smile at each other as he lit the candles. We soon lied on our backs and stared up into the sky. We held hands and looked at the sky pointing out the constellations we could find and making up the ones we didn't know. He laughed and sat up. I sat up too, staring into his beautiful green eyes that were lit up in the candlelight. We ate the food together and then he blew out the candle. I hugged him tightly and thought that this wonderful night had been so good, but I was saddened because it was over. Ulrich put his finger under my chin and lifted it. He shook his head and led my onward to another lawn decked out with my favorite candles. Our song was playing as we headed into that circle of candles. He grabbed me around the waist and I put my arms around his neck. Then, we danced. That song seemed to stretch on forever and the dance went along with it. Ulrich smiled as he pulled me close and twirled me around with such grace. By the second spin, I was wearing a tight-fitting black halter dress and he was in a suit. It was the most handsome I'd ever seen him in my life. We continued to dance and I felt on top of the world._

_Suddenly the music stopped playing, but I thought nothing but happiness to be in Ulrich's arms. I smiled at him and he smiled back. Then, the earth shook, and Ulrich tumbled away from me and I tumbled away from him. We reached out for each other and could almost reach, but we were never able to. I called his name and he called mine, but we couldn't get close. My Ulrich was tumbling away and I couldn't reach him. The earth started cracking and I stumbled and fell, tearing my dress as I did so. I got up quickly, and Ulrich and I ran towards each other, but as much as we ran, and as fast as we ran, we could only get farther and farther away from each other. Suddenly there was a gapping hole in front of the two of us and Ulrich tried to jump across to get to me. I shook my head to warn him not to try, but he insisted. He jumped. He didn't make it and he fell. I let out a scream and I bent over the edge and reached my arm out for him. He couldn't reach. He continued to fall._

I bolted upright and took a deep breath, trying my best not to scream. Ulrich woke up and sat up beside me. I looked at him and saw that he was alright and immediately burst into tears. I wrapped my arms around his neck and he wrapped his arms around me. I pulled him close, trying to calm myself and reassure myself that he was still here with me. He rubbed my back and I tried calming down.

"What happened?" he asked quietly, whispering the words in my ear.

"I thought I had lost you." His warmth was so reassuring, but I couldn't stop the flow of tears from my eyes.

"I'm right here. It was just a dream. A nightmare." It had felt so real. I was almost sure it was real.

"I'm not sure it was a dream."

"Well, then what was it?"

"A premonition."

"You think whatever happened, will happen?"

"I'm not sure, but I don't want to loose you. Not again," I cried and buried my face in his chest. I soaked up his smell and felt the heat radiating from his body.

"Yumi, I won't leave you. You won't loose me."

"It wasn't like that," I said looking up at him through my red eyes. "I couldn't stop you from falling. You died."

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	24. Who's Fault is it Anyway?

**I hope you enjoy this new chapter  
I Know what you might be thinking!  
You took that title from "Who's line is it anyway?"  
Well, I didn't even realize that until my sister pointed it out  
I don't own "WHo's line is it anyway?"  
Nor do I say that I take any credit from it.  
I just put that as my title  
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**No Matter What They Say**

**Chapter 24: Whose Fault is it Anyway?**

"Ugh."

"I think he's waking up," the nurse said and headed to get the doctor.

"What's with the blinding lights in here?" he said and closed him eyes to slits.

"Oh, I'm sorry, perhaps should close the blinds a bit," the doctor said as he entered. The nurse pulled the blinds to halfway. "I didn't expect you to be awake yet. How do you feel?"

"I feel hungry. Got anything to eat in this place?" Odd asked and opened his eyes all the way. "Where am I anyway? Who are you? I know you're doctors, but what's your name?"

"Oh, right. You're in the hospital on the top of the mountain by that ski resort you're staying at. I'm Doctor Fredrick, and this is Nurse Jaclyn. You had a mild case of hypothermia," the doctor stated. "We put you on heating blankets, but late last night, perhaps it was around 11:30, your temperature got stabilized at 98.6, so perhaps you don't need them anymore. We're even thinking about releasing you later on tonight if you're able to walk by this afternoon."

"Would you like something to eat?" the nurse asked politely. "We're still serving breakfast in our cafeteria. I could go get you something."

"I think I can go get it. I feel much better," Odd said and smiled.

"Oh, no. You can leave your bed yet. You've just woken up, but I'd be glad to get you something," the nurse replied smiling.

"You could get me a hamburger and fries. Oh! And a milkshake! Maybe, I'll have some chocolate cake too, and if it wouldn't be much trouble, and the phone while you're at it, or at least my cell," Odd said and smiled.

"Wow, you have a hearty appetite for someone who shouldn't be feeling too well," the nurse said suspiciously. "Are you sure you can eat all of that?"

"Everything, except the phone!" Odd smiled and laughed. "I'm starving!"

"Well, perhaps, you can get some food, but I'm not sure if you should be calling your friends," the doctor said and laughed at the idea. "They'll come when they have time."

"But, I really want to talk to them! I was sure Aelita was here with me when I was in pain. I know I've been asleep after that, so I really need to talk to her!" Odd complained. "Did anyone ever visit?"

"We weren't supposed to let you have visitors, but yes, you did," the nurse said.

"Well, who came?"

"Goodness, I don't know their names!"

"Well, can you describe them?"

"There was a girl and a boy. The girl was Japanese, or Chinese, one or the other, and the boy was a brunette. They tried to see you, but we didn't let them in."

"Oh," Odd said and sighed. "Was there anyone else?"

"Oh, yes. There was this boy. He was Japanese, or Chinese, one or the other. There was this girl with him. She was rather strange. She looked sad. She had pink hair, too! Strangest thing I'd seen. She returned twice. She made some trouble the second time. We didn't want to let her in, but she insisted she had to see you." Odd smiled and thought to himself. He pictured Aelita forcing her way into his room and almost laughed. "Well, I'll go get you some food," the nurse said and walked away shaking her head. Odd smiled and looked around the room. He was alone now. He started to check out his injuries. He noticed the brace on his left arm and right knee.

"Well, at least there isn't a cast anywhere," he mumbled to himself. "Now, where's the phone in this place?" He looked around, but couldn't see any. He was about to get up and look around, but the nurse walked in with a tray of food.

"Here you go. I brought you some jello, and orange juice," Jaclyn said and smiled. Odd looked at it, and laughed.

"You call this _food_. Where's the hamburger?"

"We're not sure how much you can handle yet."

"We'll, I just got hurt. I don't have the flu! Watch me eat the jello, and then bring me a hamburger! Jacki, I can eat anything right now! I'm starving," Odd insisted, and started to eat his jello.

------m------

Ulrich woke up first. Yumi was still asleep next to him. He looked around the room and found that Sissi and Aelita were gone. He got up from the bed quietly, trying not to disturb Yumi and headed to the restroom. After he was finished, he came out and looked at the clock. It was 11:30. _No wonder Aelita and Sissi aren't here._ He thought to himself. He thought about running over to his room to get changed, but he decided against it because he didn't want the chance that Yumi would wake up while he was gone to happen. She had had that bad dream, or premonition as she like to call it, and he didn't want to scare her by not being there when she woke up. He looked out the window for a few minutes. He noticed the ground was more snow covered than the night before and saw all of the couples walking hand and hand through the snow. He thought to himself about the surprise he had awaiting for Yumi. _Look how beautiful she is when she sleeps. She's almost perfect. _He walked over and leaned onto her bed. He kissed her lightly on the cheek and she woke up smiling at him.

"How are you?"

"Better now."

"You didn't have anymore bad dreams?"

"Nope," she said and smiled at him. She stared into his green eyes and gave him a quick kiss. Then, she turned down the covers and rolled out of the bed. She headed into the restroom turned on the shower. "I hope you don't mind if I take a shower."

"Not a problem. Can I go back to my room and get changed?"

"Sure, when you're finished come back in here. Just take my key," she said as she rummaged through her bags to find the clothes she was going to wear. Ulrich looked onto the bedside table where the key was and found the key along with a note.

_Lovebirds,_

_When you guys wake up we'll have probably already eaten breakfast. If you get this by 9, we might still be eating at the breakfast buffet. You're welcome to come if you get this in time and don't have plans. If you don't get it in time, oh well. If you get this note by noon and you don't have plans, then I'd like you to meet me up at the hospital. While you two were making out last night, I got kicked out of the hospital. I'm welcome to come back at noon. If you don't want to come, it's fine, but I think Odd would want you to come. He might even be awake today. They said he might even be able to leave today. I really want you to come. Well, if you aren't able to make it, I don't know how I'm going to get Odd down the mountain. I've invited Hiroki, Jared, Sissi, and Jeremie to come with me, so maybe they can help, but I doubt Odd feels comfortable with Jared or Jeremie. Sissi most likely isn't coming either. She didn't want to be infected with germs. Plus, she saw a lifeguard that she thought was cute. She'll most likely be at the pool. So, I'll only have Hiroki to help me. I do need more help, unless Odd can walk well. If you get this after noon, I'll most likely still be there. Meet us there. Room 615. I hope Odd comes as first priority, but if you can't go around you're plans, I guess I understand. I hope to see you there._

_Love,_

_Aelita_

"Yumi," Ulrich called. "I found a note from Aelita."

"Really?" Yumi asked still digging for her outfit. "Well, what does it say?"

"Here," Ulrich said and handed it to her. "Read it for yourself." Yumi skimmed her eyes over the note and then looked at Ulrich.

"I don't care if our plans interfere. We were rude to Aelita last night. We need to do this for her."

"I agree. Plus, my surprise doesn't happen until dinner. I planned it while you guys were touring the place."

"If this runs into dinner time, we're still staying with her," Yumi stated plainly. "We can always do it another time. You can plan it again. Aelita needs us for this."

"Agreed. You take you're shower and I'll change. I'll meet you back here," Ulrich said and smiled at her. Then he left her alone to take her shower. He headed over to get changed and in 25 minutes they were both dressed, Ulrich in his cargo pants and green jacket and Yumi in her black and red turtle neck and black jeans, and ready to go to the hospital.

They headed out and soon enough they were there. They went in and towards the elevator. When they arrived, finally, at room 615 Aelita, Jeremie, Jared, and Hiroki were inside the room with Odd. Aelita was sitting on the side of the bed. Jeremie and Jared were in the two chairs and Hiroki was sitting on the armrest of Jared's chair. Odd and Aelita were holding hands and Odd looked the best and happiest he'd been in days. They came in in the middle of their conversation.

"I really am sorry, for you know, overreacting," Odd said sincerely.

"If anyone should be sorry, it should be me. I caused this. I should have just told you that you were going to fast. I shouldn't have pretended. I shouldn't have let you see me with Jared without telling you about him first," she said and almost cried.

"Hey, I'm sorry, too. I should have let her go strait to talk to you," Jared said and shook his head. "I wasn't thinking strait. I was just trying to help."

"I'm sorry I got you in here," Aelita muttered.

"It was as much my fault. I'm the one that tripped," Odd said shrugging.

"I'm the one that made you run in the first place," Jared said and shrugged. "I hugged Aelita. It's more my fault."

"No, it's more my fault," Aelita said and shrugged. "I lied to you to get you upset. I also let Jared hug me."

"If it's anyone's fault, it's mine," Jeremie said and sighed. "I started this whole feud. I made the accusations. I didn't go to your music video shot. This whole thing started with me."

"Jeremie, it's not your fault," Odd said. "As much as I'd like to blame someone, I can't. Now, let's think of something happier. Like, um…someone going to get me edible food!"

Yumi laughed showing her presence in the room with Ulrich. "Even now, Odd still thinks about his stomach."

"Yumi, Ulrich, you made it!" Aelita said and gave them each a hug. "I'm so glad you came."

"Hey, I wasn't kidding! I'm starved."

"Wouldn't the nurse give you something to eat?" Ulrich asked.

"Only if you count jello and orange juice as something to eat. I asked for a hamburger, fries, a milkshake, and chocolate cake. I got jello. I'm starving!" Odd said and as if on cue his stomach growled. "See!"

They all laughed, including Jared. "Ok, Odd, what do you want?" Ulrich asked. "I'll go get you something from the cafeteria."

"I'll have a hamburger, fries, a milkshake, some spaghetti, oh with meatballs! some chocolate cake, maybe a ham sandwich, oh and to top it all off a Dr. Pepper ™. That sounds pretty good."

"Ok, Odd. I'll see what I can do. Yumi, you want to come with me?"

"Oh, sure he'd ask Yumi!" Odd said and everyone laughed.

"Hiroki, go with them. If you don't, they might start sucking face again and the food would never get here," Aelita said and laughed. Hiroki agreed and the three of them left to get Odd's food.

"Well, when can you get out of this place?" Jared asked.

"Well, if I can prove I can walk, I can leave tonight after dinner."

"Well, then when are they going to let you try to walk?"

"I wanted to try already, but they didn't think I could," Odd said. "I mean I've got these braces on and everything."

"Well, you should just stand up and show those doctors you can walk," Jared stated boldly.

"Odd, no. You might hurt yourself. I don't want you to fall!" Aelita cried. "Wait until the doctors think it's a good idea. Please."

"Fine, but no matter what, I'm getting out of this hospital today. I'm not spending another night here. I don't want to miss out in all the fun," he said and laughed.

Jeremie looked up at Odd. "How do you feel? Do you remember any of it?"

"Well, right now, I feel wonderful. My leg and wrist may start hurting when I use them, but right this minute I feel perfect," he said and held Aelita's hand in his good hand. "I do remember some of it. I remember the fall. I remember trying to get up from the snow. I remember I couldn't. I remember trying to stop me from bleeding. I even remember trying to crawl back to the path and the resort. I remember that didn't work. I remember my vision getting fuzzy. Then it got really cold. After that nothing for a long time. Then I remembered hearing a voice. And I couldn't open my eyes to see who it was. I remember it was really dark, but there was also this really bright light. Then, the voice called my name and told me to open my eyes, and so I tried. Then, the light was brighter and there was a lot of pain. Then I heard something about a doctor and then there was nothing. The next thing I knew, I was in this room with a lady who refused to give me real food."

"You really remember all that?" Jeremie asked. "Didn't you hit your head or anything?"

"I don't think so."

"You could even hear things in your coma?"

"Um…I could make out voices. Does that count?"

"Yeah. That's fascinating!"

"Alrighty, Einstein."

"Here you go, Odd," Ulrich said, grouchily, carrying a tray of food in. "This is all you're gonna get. I'm not going back down there again!"

"Ulrich's just upset because one of the cafeteria servers was flirting with me," Yumi said and laughed. They rest of them laughed too. "He was taller than him."

"Hey, I am not," he said and glared. Then he muttered, "Plus, he wasn't that much taller. Only by like an inch, if that."

"Ok, whatever you say, Ulrich."

Odd looked at his tray of food and found a hamburger, Dr Pepper ™, spaghetti, and what looked like chocolate cake. "Where are the fries and the milkshake and the meatballs?"

"They didn't have any. Just be happy we brought you this!" Ulrich said defensively.

As Odd ate his food, the rest of them talked together about the first things they should do once Odd got out of the hospital. Nobody even noticed when Hiroki snuck out of the room with his phone up to his ear.

"Hello?" Hiroki asked.

"Get your butt over here!"

"What!? Johnny, what are you talking about?"

"Get your butt over here, Hiroki!"

"I'm kind of in the middle of something, Johnny. Can't this wait? I'm up at the hospital and everything."

"Ok, fine. I'll just go tell _**Milly **_that you can't go on a walk with her and that you had something better to do."

"What?! Milly! Really? You're serious? She asked me?"

"Yeah, Hiroki, and if you don't get your butt over here quick enough, she's gonna get bored. She doesn't want to wait for you. Get your butt over here!"

"I'll be right there! Stall or something!"

"Wha-," Johnny started, but Hiroki hung up and hurried back into the room.

"Hey guys! Aelita, Odd, I'm really sorry, but I've gotta go!"

"What's the rush?" Yumi asked him.

"I've got a date with Milly!" Hiroki shouted as he ran out of the room and down the hall toward the elevators.

"I knew he'd do it," Aelita said and smiled.

"Well, I'm finished," Odd said and sighed. "I wanted meatballs." Everyone laughed. Just then, the nurse walked in.

"Do you feel up to trying to walk?" she asked. "Or would you rather hang out with your troublesome friends?"

"I think I'd like to try," Odd said and the nurse smiled. "Everyone, this is Jacki!"

"It's Jaclyn and I know. I've met some of you," she said bitterly with a smile across her face. She stared Aelita down. Aelita smiled up at her smugly. "You'll have to move, sweetie." Aelita scowled and got off the bed and sat on Jared's armrest. Then, the nurse pulled back the sheets off of Odd's bed. She grabbed Odd's elbow and sat him up, then slowly pulled him onto his feet. Odd bit his lip and wrinkled his nose. The nurse let go of his elbow.

"Ok, how about you go over and get a drink from the sink in the bathroom and come back and drink it. If you can't do something that easy, you're not ready to leave. If you can, we'll try something else." Odd hobbled over to the bathroom and turned on the faucet with his good hand and held the cup carefully with his bad hand. Then he came back with the water and drank it. He was still cringing a little.

"Well, I did it," Odd said through gritted teeth as he tried to smile about it.

"Ok, let's try something a little harder," Jaclyn said. "Get dressed in your normal clothes. You can make your friends leave if you want. I'll leave the room too if you want, but you can't have any help. Your clothes are on the floor under the nightstand." Then Jaclyn left the room and Odd nodded for his friends to leave as well. Slowly he got his clothes out from under his nightstand, exactly where the nurse said they would be. He sat on his bed and took off his hospital gown. Then slowly and carefully, with much struggle, he got his jeans to go over his legs. They were definitely the same jeans because they were still ripped to shreds at the knees. He stood up carefully and buttoned and zipped his torn pants. After this, he put on his shoes, which were really hard to tie. Then he slipped his arms carefully through his purple shirt and pulled it over his head. Then he stuck his arms through the gray and purple jacket that he had been wearing on that day that had seemed so long ago, but was actually only yesterday. Then as soon as he was finished he hobbled very slowly toward the door and opened it with his good hand.

"Am I dressed well enough for you?" Odd asked the nurse.

"Um, oh, I almost forgot that your jeans were ripped when you got here. If one of your friends would be kind enough to go and get you some more jeans from your resort, I'll be happy to let you leave once you were wearing them."

Odd sighed and looked at Ulrich. "Oh come on. Odd, really?" Odd just looked at him almost pleadingly. "Oh, Fine! I'll get your jeans, but I'm not going to stay too long after you're out of this place. Yumi and I have plans."

"That's fine with me! I might have plans of my own," he said and gave Aelita a quick, discreet smile that only Ulrich caught.

"Ok, deal. Come on, Yumi. Let's go get Odd some pants," he said. Then he sighed and headed toward the elevators.

The nurse turned to Odd, "I'll fill out your release forms."

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	25. Confusing

**I hope you like this one!  
****You get more from Hiroki and Milly.  
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**No Matter What They Say**

**Chapter 25: Confusing**

Milly: Pov

Johnny had been gone for about a minute now. I was almost ready to leave him, but he said he'd gone to get Hiroki. I decided to wait a bit longer and see where this thing would go. It was all Tamiya's idea in the first place. She's stuck on the fact that I must have a thing for Hiroki. The fact is: I don't know if I do or not. I just couldn't back out though. I really did want to go on a walk. Maybe, with Hiroki and Johnny coming along, I could figure out my mind. I could see Johnny finally talking to Hiroki, although I couldn't here what they were saying. I could see him barely in the distance.

"Hey! It took you long enough!" Johnny whispered harshly at Hiroki as he ran up to him. "Milly's getting antsy. I tried to stall, but she's getting bored of just sitting here. She really wants to go on a walk."

"So, Milly really does want to go on a walk with me? She really asked me to go?"

"Well…not exactly."

"What do you mean by that?!" Hiroki said glaring at him.

"Tamiya asked me, and Milly asked where you were. I said I'd call you. I did. She said she'd wait for a little while. She looked kind of happy when I said you were coming, but I still think she's antsy to go. I don't know if it's a good or a bad thing."

"We'll talk more, later. Take me to Milly and Tamiya."

Johnny headed over toward Tamiya and me. Hiroki was smiling. Maybe, Tamiya was right. Maybe, he did have a thing for me.

"Hey," Hiroki said as he came over to where we were sitting. I stood up and so did Tamiya. He was two to three inches shorter than I was. I looked at both him and Johnny.

"Are we finally ready to go?" I asked. I didn't wait for a reply. I started walking. Tamiya was next to me on my right and Johnny and Hiroki were following. We walked around until we found a path we wanted to follow. It led around the area and we took it without asking the boys whether or not they wanted to. I started trying to make small talk with Tamiya. I didn't know what to say to Hiroki or Johnny, but I could have sworn that my arm was straying away from my side and longing to get close enough to hold Hiroki's hand. I tried to restrain that urge.

"Well, Tamiya, how long are we walking and where are we going?" I asked.

"Well, I thought we could walk for a little while and then maybe get a cup of hot chocolate from that café on our way back."

"That sounds nice."

"Hey, maybe later on this trip we can go skiing together or something," Hiroki said. "It might be fun, and I love skiing."

"That sounds fun, Hiroki," Johnny answered him.

"Yeah, we could come along too," Tamiya said and joined in with their conversation. She held back for a minute to pick up stride with Johnny and Hiroki. She actually started walking with them instead of me. I looked back at them. She was smiling with them and acting as if she was their best friend. I hardly even know them, no, scratch that,_ we _hardly even know them! What was she doing?

"Yeah, I guess that sounds fun," I added. Hiroki stepped into line with me. He smiled at me too, and I gave him a small smile. I don't know what happened after that, but Hiroki looked different somehow. He looked…older…or something, and cute. When I looked at him again my heart started beating faster and my palms got all sweaty and I'm sure I was blushing because my face felt hot. I don't know what was happening, but it was just like, just the fact that he was standing next to me made me feel happy and want to smile. Hearing him talk just made me feel different.

"So, are you having fun, Milly?" Hiroki asked. I think I saw him blush a bit. "I mean on the vacation?"

I laughed a small bit. "Yeah. It's been fun so far. I still haven't had a chance to do too much," I said and smiled. I had to look away from him. I must be blushing so badly. He looks so cute. Why does he look so cute? He's never looked like this before. Only Ulrich has ever looked like this to me. Wait? Did I just compare him to Ulrich? DO you think he notices that I'm talking to myself? I better say something. "How have you been doing? I haven't really talked to you much."

"I've been fine. I guess I'm glad that we're finally getting a chance to hang out. I mean, I see you on campus and on the news, but I never really get to talk to you," he said. "It's like if you're in a different grade, you normally don't hang out with others in other grades."

"Yeah, I guess so, except in your sister's case. She only hangs out with 8th graders. In fact, she's going out with one," I said and laughed.

"Yeah! Of course, Ulrich is amazing. Who wouldn't want to hang out with him?" he said and smiled. Oh, no. Why does he have to look so cute when he smiles?

"Yeah, I guess so. All the girls love Ulrich."

"So, I guess age doesn't count in that instant," he said and sighed. "It usually does everywhere else though. Yumi and Ulrich aren't the norm."

I don't know what I was doing, but I just spit it out without thinking. "I don't like being normal. Normal's too boring!" He looked at me and smiled. I don't know why I said that, but I did, and I couldn't take it back, plus it was true. I really didn't want to be all that normal.

"Yeah, normal is pretty boring if you think about it. I guess I don't really like being normal either. Random and original are better," he stated plainly. He was smiling. I was too. I don't know why. He was just an average 5th grader. What am I thinking? He's a 5th grader. I'm a 6th. I shouldn't even be feeling like this yet. He shouldn't be this cute. I shouldn't want to do what I am thinking about. He shouldn't want to be here with me. We shouldn't be here, like this. My hand shouldn't want to be in his hand. But we are, and it does. I saw his eyes go for my hand, and then look back to my face. My eyes lingered on his hand, and then slowly traveled to his face. Soon enough, I didn't know what I was doing, but his hand and mine were clenched together and we were both smiling. I could feel two sets of eyes on the back of us and our hands. I don't know what they are thinking, but, heck, I don't even know what _I _am thinking. What am I thinking?

------m------

"Ok, are you happy?" Ulrich asked as Odd hobbled out of his room for the final time, carrying his torn pants.

"Yes. I'm so glad to get out of this death trap. I've been wanting out of here ever since I woke up. Idiot nurse was so annoying. She was fun to annoy though," Odd said and smiled. Yumi was standing at the elevator holding his release papers with Jared, Aelita, and Jeremie. Odd took an extra second to stop by the desk before he headed over toward them. "Goodbye, Jacki!" he shouted toward the nurse and smiled. She just scowled at him and kept walking.

"You sure you're ok, Odd?" Aelita asked caringly. "Do you need any help?"

"No, I need to do this on my own, but thanks," he said and smiled at her. The elevator opened and they all walked in.

"Well, what are we doing since Odd's finally out of this place?" Jared asked.

"I don't know what any of you guys are doing, but I've got plans," Ulrich said and took Yumi's hand.

"Ulrich, we can skip our plans if Odd…"

"No, Yumi. Odd's fine. He said so himself. We're not missing this. Plus, I-I got you something," Ulrich said and blushed.

Yumi smiled at him. "Ok, fine. I guess we have plans that are unchangeable. Sorry guys."

"Well, I guess we can all hang out tonight," Aelita said to Jeremie, Jared, and Odd. Yumi looked at Ulrich nervously. The elevator doors opened at the lobby. Yumi slid her hand out of Ulrich's and pulled Aelita to the side.

"Aelita, we need to talk."

"Sure, Yumi, but shouldn't you be going soon?" she asked inquisitively.

"Yeah, but I need to tell you something. People are talking, Aelita."

"What do you mean?"

"Aelita, I overheard _5__th__ graders _talking about you. They were saying that you had a thing going on with four guys at once."

"What? Yumi, you and I both know I only like Odd."

"Yeah, but not everybody knows that. If 5th graders think you have a thing for four guys, than the entire school probably thinks you have a thing for four guys," Yumi said sympathetically. "You may want to stay away from the other for a while. I mean just until the rumors stop."

"Yumi, I mean, I don't care all that much what people think of me. Wait. Did you say four guys? Wait, Jeremie, Odd, maybe even Jared, but who's the fourth?"

Yumi looked at her with sad eyes. "Hiroki."

"What? You don't seriously think I have a thing for Hiroki do you?"

"No, but other people do. I mean, Aelita, it's just for your own good. I don't want people to talk about you, and I don't want you leading someone you don't like on. I don't think that you…."

"Yumi, I know you're trying to protect me, but I don't need protecting. I can take care of myself," Aelita said harshly. "I'm sorry, but I know what I'm doing. Jared knows I like Odd, and Jeremie has already apologized to me about fighting with me and Odd. I'll be fine. Just, go have you're fun. This night is important. I know you'll have fun," she said and smiled.

"Wait. You know what Ulrich is planning?"

"Well, yeah. I helped him," she said and laughed a bit. "Have fun," she said and winked. Then she walked away and helped Odd hobble out of the sliding double doors into the snow. She turned around at the last minute and smiled again. Ulrich slowly walked over to Yumi and twined his fingers with hers.

"Come on," he said and pulled her toward the exit. "We have to go get ready."

------m------

Milly: Pov

His hand felt warm. It was cold out, but not too cold. It might have been in the low 40s. My hand felt like it was on fire though. Could he feel that? Was my hand red from the heat? I glanced down to make sure. It wasn't, obviously, but still it felt like it was. His fingers were intertwined with mine. It wasn't like those times where you see to hands cupped together. It was one of those times where you could see fingers twisted together. I'm pretty sure that was more personal. I kept my eyes strait ahead. I couldn't bear to turn and look at Hiroki, and I definitely wasn't going to see what Tamiya was looking like or Johnny for that matter. I could hear their voices in the middle of a conversation. Hiroki and I hadn't had a conversation since he started to hold my hand. Or hand I started to hold his hand? I couldn't even tell anymore. Did it matter who had started the hand holding? Yeah, it probably did. Tamiya would want to know when we got back to our room. She always wanted to know every detail. I opened my mouth as if to say something. I had already tried doing this about 4 times now, and each time I couldn't think of anything to say and shut my mouth, feeling stupid. About the same time I opened my mouth this time, Hiroki started talking.

"So, um…yeah, is this ok?" Hiroki said awkwardly looking down at our hands.

"Yeah," I told him. It wasn't a lie. It's not like it was uncomfortable, and I sure as heck didn't want him to stop, but I don't know if I should be leading him on this way. It probably wasn't a very smart idea anyway because whether or not we liked it, we couldn't be together. He was still going to stay a 5th grader and I was still going to stay a 6th grader. We were always going to be a year apart, and wasn't there a saying about how people our age we too young to fall in love anyway. Wait, I'm not in love anyway. So, it doesn't matter. Good.

He smiled at me. I love and hate when he smiles at me, or at least recently. Now that I think about it, I can remember him smiling at me a lot on campus. It didn't bother me then. I didn't really even seem all that aware of it. Now, it makes my heart flutter and my brain get all confused. I love the way he looks, but he's not supposed to look like that. "Well, I'm glad this is ok. When you stopped talking, I was beginning to think that it wasn't ok with you," he said sweetly and rubbed the back of my hand with his thumb.

"Hiroki, I-I," I tried to say something, but I couldn't spit anything out. "It's just…."

"What?" Hiroki asked and stopped rubbing the back of my hand. "Did I do something wrong? Did I upset you? What is it? I know, I'm going too fast, aren't I? Aelita said girls hate it when guys go too fast. Oh, I'm sorry. I'm just nervous…. It's just, you're so beautiful, and I…."

"Stop." I looked at him, but he put his head down. "You think I'm beautiful?" I'm pretty sure he didn't expect me to say that, or anything of the sort. I think he expected me to rip my hand away from him and say something about him being too fast. He looked up at me in shock.

"Well, yeah. I think you're one of the most beautiful girls I've ever met."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Is that bad?"

"No. That's…that's the sweetest thing anybody's ever said to me," I said and smiled. This is wrong. I can't do this. I'm just in 6th grade. What am I thinking? Get you're head back, Milly. He's just another pretty face. Don't let him entice you. You could never be with him. He's too young. I'm too young. This feeling isn't supposed to happen until I'm older, but it's here and it feels so right.

"Hiroki, I-I I can't do this," I said and turned my head down. I slowly slid my hand out of his. I glanced up and only saw his confused face. Maybe, it was hurt. I can't tell. I looked back down quickly.

"But, Milly, you said…you said that was ok. You said…."

"I-I just…can't. I'm sorry," I whispered and that was it. That was all I said. I couldn't say anything else. I couldn't stay there much longer either or else I would change my mind again. I had to get away from his pretty face and the way he made me feel. I ran. I just turned quickly and ran. The tears were streaming down my face. I was crying. Over him. There was this ache in my chest as I ran. It was as if my heart didn't want to leave. I can't believe I'm saying this, or thinking this, or whatever I'm doing, but I think I love him. As young as I am, I think I love him. Who's to say that we're too young to love? I didn't want these strange feelings though, and my head was more confused than ever. I just kept running, all the while I wanted to turn back and slip my hand back into his. I just kept on running with the tears running down my face. I never looked back. Never. I ran all the way back to the lobby of the hotel and curled up in one of the chairs and pretended to fall asleep, all the while I was crying and not sleeping. I don't know how many people really thought I was sleeping and I don't really care. I could have been getting strange looks from everyone in that lobby and I would not have cared. I have no idea what I want. I want my head to straighten out and for my heart to stop aching and confusing me.

I don't know what time it was when he tapped on my shoulder, but he eventually did. "Milly, we need to talk."

"I don't want to talk to you, Hiroki!"

"Milly, we need to talk. I don't know what I did wrong back there, but I'm sorry," he said sweetly. Did I hear him sniff? Was that because it was cold, or had I hurt him? I didn't turn to find out.

"You didn't do anything, Hiroki! Just go away!"

"But, why? Why did you run?"

"I just couldn't do it. I'm just too confused. Leave me alone!" I shouted hoping he'd get my message. I couldn't turn and look at him. If I did, I wouldn't have been able to let him leave. His hand was still on my shoulder, and I could feel the heat radiating from it. It felt so good, and I didn't want it to leave, but it had to leave. It was confusing me even more. I wanted him to stay so much, but I shouldn't want him to stay. What makes him so special? What makes him better than anyone else? Why do I want to see his face or have him hold my hand? What makes him so important that would make my heart feel like this? The only conclusion I can think of is that I love him. I must love him. I don't think I want to love him, but I do, and I can't help that. I just don't want him to leave, but if he doesn't leave my head will stay confused.

Ugh, why does love have to be so confusing! "Just leave, Hiroki!" I shouted at him. "I need to be alone."

"Milly, I really think we should talk."

"No, Hiroki!" I shouted. I finally turned around and faced him. My eyes must have been red, and my hair was obviously a mess. I wiped my eyes quickly. "I don't want to talk!" He must have been surprised that I was crying, because his face showed that he was in shock. Was it just my imagination or was he red eyed too? Was I hurting him? I don't want to hurt him. I really don't want to make him cry. It was too late for that. Hiroki took two steps backwards. I definitely saw a tear roll down his face. Then he darted out of the lobby at full speed. I turned away and cried into the armrest of the chair.

------m------

"I hate you!" Hiroki yelled as he entered his room. Johnny was the only one in there. He stood up as Hiroki entered. "I** hate **you!" Hiroki's eyes were red. There were tears running down his face. He kept rubbing them away quickly. "Why did you do that?! I thought you said she wanted me to come! I thought you said she _obviously _liked me! Why?" Hiroki stood there, staring at his friend. His eyes didn't show hatred as much as they showed hurt. He was hurt and confused. "Why did you tell me all that stuff, if you knew she'd run away if I tried to hold her hand? Why?" The last few questions came out less like a shout and more like a whisper. "Johnny, why should I even trust you anymore?"

"Hiroki, it's not my fault! Tamiya said she liked you! I didn't know she would run away like that!"

"Yeah, sure. Whatever. I'm going for a walk. I'll be back. Whenever. Don't call me. I'm not going to have my phone on, and if I do, I'm not picking up. Especially not for you," Hiroki said harshly and strode out the door, slamming it behind him. Johnny sighed and sank back onto the bed.

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	26. Never Leave

**I'm pretty sure that this is the longest chapter I've ever written out of all of my stories  
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**No Matter What They Say**

**Chapter 26: Never Leave**

Yumi: Pov

"Ulrich, can I open my eyes yet?" I asked excitedly. I heard Ulrich coming in the door to my room. I heard the door clothes behind him. I didn't hear anyone come in with him. Why did he want my eyes closed?

"Alright, here. Take this, but don't open you're eyes," he said and handed me what felt like a box.

"How am I supposed to open it without being able to see?" I asked.

"Fine, fine. Open you're eyes," he said. I opened them, and sure enough there was a box on my lap. It looked like a clothes box, and even more specifically it looked like an expensive clothes box. I looked up to him surprised. Why would he by me clothes? Why would he buy me expensive clothes?

"What's this?"

"You won't know the answer to that until you open it. Now will you?" he said and smiled. "Go on. Open it."

I smiled up at him and pulled of the top of the box. Inside was tissue paper which clarified my idea of it being clothes. I pulled back the tissue paper, and it was clothes, but not just any clothes. It was a dress. I pulled it out of the box, and stood up so I could see it fully. All I could do was gasp. It was beautiful.

"Do you like it?" he asked. "I mean, I wasn't sure of your size and I tried to find something you'd like…. I asked Aelita for help, and she gave me the size, but she suggested pink, and I just couldn't see you in pink so I pick the black one. Is that ok?"

"Ulrich, it's beautiful," I said and admired the dress. It was black like he said, and it was backless. It tied around the neck. On the front there was a pattern of white flowers around the top, and from what I could tell it would cut off right before my knees. It was tight fitted on the top, but loose at the bottom. It was perfect. "Oh, Ulrich, it's even my size."

"Well, thank Aelita for that," he said and smiled.

"Why'd you get me this?"

"Well, I wanted you to have it. Why, don't you like it?"

"I love it, but wasn't it expensive?"

"Um, was it supposed to be?"

"I don't want you to spend money on me."

"Well, I didn't spend too much on it."

"How much?" I asked inquisitively.

"Um…20 dollars," he said and scratched his head and laughed lightly. I laughed along with him. It was a relief to me that he hadn't spent too much on me.

"Good. And is tonight expensive?"

"Yumi, don't worry about it. I wanted all of this for you. Just, enjoy the night," he said and smiled. "Now, I'm going to go get changed. When you're finished meet me there."  
"Meet you where?"

"You'll know," he said. Then he smirked and left me alone with my new fancy dress. Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. I went and opened it. There wasn't anyone there, but on the floor there was a small package with a card on top. I opened the card.

_ Yumi, _

_I hope you enjoy this. I wanted to get you it. Don't worry about the money. Meet me at the gazebo behind the resort. The indoor one. You'll be able to tell. _

_ I love you,_

_ Ulrich_

I looked down at the box below the card. I opened it, and inside was a necklace that perfectly matched my dress. I picked both up, and entered the room again. About the same time I set the necklace down on my bed I heard another knock. I know Ulrich was trying to be sweet, but I didn't want another gift. I went to the door reluctantly and opened it. It wasn't a gift. It was Sissi.

"Oh, hey, Yumi," she said and walked in. She was in her bathing suit with her towel draped over her shoulder, but looked completely dry. She was as happy as ever. Then she saw the dress. "Oh my gosh! When did you get that thing?" She gasped. She walked over and pick up the dress. "I have definitely never seen you in this before.

"That's because I just got it. Ulrich gave it to me."

"WHAT!?! Ulrich got you a snazzy new dress and he wouldn't even talk to me!?" Sissi said and yipped.

"I'm going to take a quick shower. Tell me if anything else is sent to the door." I walked into the bathroom and started running the water when I heard Sissi outburst again. She must have found the necklace.

I took the shower quickly and wrapped myself in a towel before heading back into the bedroom. Sissi was there waiting on the bed for me to come out. I looked at her and she smiled. "What's up with you? You're never this smiley for other people's happiness, especially when it comes to other people with Ulrich."

"Oh, I know. I just love this dress, and if he bought it for you, I can't change him. Plus, I met this guy in the lobby. He's a lifeguard. That's where I've been all day."

"And…did you talk to him?"

"Oh, better than that. He invited me to get a burger with him tonight for dinner," Sissi said, her eyes glowing and smiling.

"Well, that's nice," I said and rummaged through my drawers to get a pair of underwear. "It seems as if we both have dates tonight."  
"Yeah, but yours seems much more formal," she said gesturing to the dress and necklace.

"I guess I might be back late tonight."

"I don't know when I'll be back either."

"Well, I guess if I get back first I won't wait up for you."

"Do you know where you're going?"

"Some fancy gazebo," I said and smiled leery.

"What are you going to there?" she asked confused.

"Yeah, well, I'm not sure what's going to happen exactly. Ulrich told me it was a surprise."

"Yeah, well what shoes are you going to wear?"

"Oh, I don't know…." The thought had never ever crossed my mind. None of my shoes would be good for this. I only brought boots and a pair of flip flops for the pool. I guess my boots will have to do. "I guess my boots. They're all I have," I said and shrugged.

"You're hopeless. Your boots would make the dress pointless. What size are you? 7? 8? Can you fit in an 8?" Sissi asked absentmindedly, while she searched through her closet.

"Yeah, I think so."

"No, no. Those aren't…. No, not these…. There are black ones in here somewhere. Way too tall…. Ulrich would look too short if…. Oh, perfect!" She said and came back out of the closet holding the shoes she said were perfect, and to be truthfully honest Sissi was right for once. They were perfect. They were black, just like my dress, and they weren't flat, but they barely had a heel. That way Ulrich wouldn't be too short compared to my height. No matter how much Ulrich grew this year, which was about 2 ½ inches, he still wasn't my height or close. They were plain, but sophisticated and elegant looking.

"Here, try these on."

I tried them on, and they were a bit too big, but they fit well enough that they didn't slip off when I walked. "Oh, Sissi, they're perfect. You sure I can borrow these?"

"Oh, yeah. I've only worn them once. I hate black, no offense, and they aren't my style. My dad bought them for me when we went to go out to this fancy dinner for a family reunion. I hated them, plus they're already a little small. I don't even know why I brought them, but I always like bringing a bunch of clothes and shoes. I guess it's a good thing I did. They seem to fit you well enough."

"Yeah. They do. Thanks," I said. I didn't know what else to say. "I guess these will look better than my boots."

"Definitely. Now, let's get you into this dress."

I dried my hair while I was still in my towel and Sissi took her shower. While Sissi got dressed, I fixed my hair. It was strait as usual. Then, Sissi actually helped me into my dress. It was weird seeing her so nice, but I was glad I had someone to help me. There wasn't a zipper to be found, and even though it was my size my chest had grown since I last went dress shopping. This was tight-fitted at the top, and it took a while to get it on me. After a few minutes, it was on and I looked myself over in the mirror as Sissi tied the top behind my neck. I haven't worn dresses in a while, and I wasn't used to seeing myself in one, but Sissi told me I look stunning. I put on my necklace and shoes, then turned around and faced her.

"Thanks for everything."

"No problem. You look great. Have fun tonight."

"You too," I said and headed out the door and into the elevator. I rode down to the lobby and I got some strange glances. People in snow suits, winter jackets, and sweaters saw me in my sleeveless dress and had to take a double take. Maybe it was that, or maybe it was because I looked good. I don't know, nor do I care. I walked toward the back of the building and looked for any sign that said gazebo. I looked outside as I walked and saw a gazebo out there, but he said it was indoors and I would be able to tell. I kept walking and got stopped at a dead end. The only thing in front of me was a door. I wasn't sure if it led outside or not. There was only one way to find out, so I opened it. It didn't lead outside although it looked like it did. I stepped out of that hallway at the back of the building, and into a long corridor made of glass. It was beautiful. I could see the snow falling outside, but it still felt warm. It was already getting dark. The stars slowly started appearing. I wished to stay in that corridor because it was so beautiful, but I did not. I continued walking and made my way to another door. I could hear a faint sound coming from the other side. There was a sign to the right of the doorway. It read: Ecliptic Gazebo. Established in 1935. One of only 12 indoor Gazebos in Europe.

From the sign, I was guessing I was in the right place. I opened the door and immediately knew I was in the right place. There were benches along every wall. The walls were made of glass and so was the ceiling. It was exactly like the corridor: beautiful. On every bench around the room were hundreds of candles. My favorite kind: midnight amethyst. They were all lit, and made the room sparkle. In the center of the room, I found a picnic blanket with a dinner prepared. I still couldn't tell where the sound was coming from, but now I could tell that it wasn't just a sound. It was a song, and it was one of our favorites.

The room looked fabulous. I heard a door close behind me. I turned to see who was behind me, like I didn't know. It was Ulrich, like I thought it was.

"Wow, you look amazing," he said and came in.

"Well, you picked out the dress, and the necklace. Thanks for the necklace. It's beautiful," I said and smiled at him. He actually put something special on for me. Something other than that green overcoat and khaki pants. He was in nice pants and a polo shirt. I've never seen him in polo in my life. Obviously it was a green polo shirt, but it was polo just the same.

"You look great."

"Thanks, Yumi."

"This whole place looks amazing," I said and walk closer to him. I don't feel too tall in comparison to him. Sissi was right. "What did you spend on this anyway?"

"It doesn't matter. I wanted to do this for you, for us. It doesn't matter what I paid," he stated boldly and smiled. "Do you want to eat?"

"I'm starving." He walked me over to the picnic blanket in the center of the gazebo and I saw all of my favorite foods laid out in front of me.

_Flashback_

_…and in the center was a picnic blanket. As he sat me down I recognized all of my favorite foods and my favorite candle, midnight amethyst. … I was wearing a tight-fitting black halter dress. … but as much as we ran, and as fast as we ran, we could only get farther and farther away from each other. Suddenly there was a gapping hole in front of the two of us and Ulrich tried to jump across to get to me. I shook my head to warn him not to try, but he insisted. He jumped. He didn't make it and he fell. I let out a scream and I bent over the edge and reached my arm out for him. He couldn't reach. He continued to fall._

_End Flashback_

He noticed something different about me. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," I lied. "I'm just overwhelmed that you would go to so much trouble for me." I smiled and he smiled back. We started to dine on the many delicacies in the middle of the room, and I tried to forget my dream from the night before. I wanted so badly to enjoy this night. We finished dinner quickly and we both took a mint. It was then that he told me to sit on one of the many benches surrounding the outside edge of the room. He told me to sit there and close my eyes. I did what he said. I couldn't hear what he was doing because of the music, but soon enough he came back. He told me I could open my eyes and I did. All traces of the dinner we had were gone, and the music changed. He offered me his hand. A new song was playing, and not just any song at that. The last song just ended and our song was playing: our song as in Iris by New Found Glory, not Our Song as in Our Song by Taylor Swift. I took his hand, and we started to dance around in that gazebo.

_And I'd give up forever to touch you  
'Cause I know that you feel me somehow  
You're the closest to heaven that I'll ever be  
And I don't want to go home right now_

He spun me around in his arms as if he'd been doing this his entire life. He was graceful and rhythmic. I guess you could say our song isn't the most romantic, but we both like it. It has a deep meaning and everything.

_And all I can taste is this moment  
And all I can breathe is your life  
'Cause sooner or later it's over  
I just don't want to miss you tonight_

It is just sped up. We like the fast pace. It makes it seem as though it isn't just some sappy love song. It's a real song. It's our song, and we love it because it reminds us of each other. It fits us perfectly. We aren't a sappy love song. We're just two people who found each other.

_And I don't want the world to see me  
'Cause I don't think that they'd understand  
When everything's made to be broken  
I just want you to know who I am_

"Yumi, I'm glad I met you," he whispered in my ear. I could hear him fine, even over the music. He twirled me around and we danced close.

_And you can't fight the tears that ain't coming  
Or the moment of truth in your lies  
When everything feels like the movies_

_Yeah you bleed just to know you're alive_

"Me too," I whispered back to him. I then started whispering along with the music. I could feel the heat radiating from him. It feels good.

_And I don't want the world to see me  
'Cause I don't think that they'd understand  
When everything's made to be broken  
I just want you to know who I am_

"I love you."

"I love you, too," I said and smiled. He twirled me out and brought me back into his arms. "I'll dance with you forever tonight." I said that to be polite. We both knew we wouldn't dance for forever. We may not even do a second song.

_And I don't want the world to see me  
'Cause I don't think that they'd understand  
When everything's made to be broken  
I just want you to know who I am_

"I would too, even though I'm horrible at dancing," he said and twirled me again.

"You don't look so horrible. You look rather good at dancing," I said and he smiled.

"Thanks, but don't tell anyone."

"Why?"

"'Cause I took dance lessons when I was like 4. If anyone ever found out, I'd be the laughing stock of the 8th grade. Oh, especially if Odd found out."

I had to laugh slightly at that comment. "I think it's cute."

_And I don't want the world to see me  
'Cause I don't think that they'd understand  
When everything's made to be broken  
I just want you to know who I am_

"Well, you might be the only one."

_I just want you to know who I am_

"Ok, I won't tell."

_  
I just want you to know who I am_

"Thanks."

_  
I just want you to know who I am_

And that was it. The song ended. Our song ended. He spun me out and we stopped dancing. Another song came on, but it wasn't the same. We didn't feel like dancing anymore. We both aren't very comfortable with that kind of stuff. I don't mind dancing, but slow dancing can get old. It's not bad when I'm dancing with Ulrich, but I know he feels the same way, and so one dance is good enough for the both of us.

He led me to the bench where I sat before, or at least I'm pretty sure it was the same bench. I can't be positive because of all that spinning, but it looked the same because it didn't have as many candles as the others, and so it was easier for us to sit there. Ulrich's eyes glowed in this lighting and he looked stunning. I couldn't look away from him.

"I have a question for you," he said and held my hand.

"Alright. Go for it."

"We can do anything you want tonight. We can stay in this gazebo where we're all alone. No one will be interrupting us. I can guarantee that. Or, we can go to your room, where I'm pretty sure no one is there, but I can't be positive. Or, we can go to a movie on grounds. Or, we can go for a walk, but we'd need to get you a coat first. We can do anything you like. You can pick from one of those ideas or you can think up your own. What would you like to do?"

"I like this gazebo. You put a lot of work into it, and since you know we won't be disturbed, I like it even better. Plus, it's really beautiful in here."

"Alright. Gazebo it is. Now, here's the next question. I know, it's rather dark outside, but these candles make it really bright and rather warm in here. Do you want to keep them lit, or blow them out?"

"Well," I said and smiled at him. I pulled him closer and wrapped my arms around his neck, "as pretty as these candles are, I think we oughta blow a few of them out. Plus, with them lit, it might get too hot in here," I said and smiled again. Then, we got up and blew out ¾ of the candles. We left the rest of the candles where they were because we didn't want to take the time to move them. After we blew them out, I walked up to Ulrich slowly, and wrapped my arms around his neck.

"Is this better?"

"Much better." He wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me closer. I smiled at him and brought my lips closer to his. They touched and fire raced through me. I wanted to be held tighter and I pulled him closer to me. Everywhere he touched me was on fire. It was as if we weren't two people anymore. We were just one. I ran my hands through his hair and I pulled his head closer to me. If he wasn't enjoying this, he wasn't stopping. I then tried something we'd never done before. We were always such simple kissers. We usually never did much in public. We usually don't kiss this passionately at all, but Ulrich seemed up for it. I decided to try. I opened my mouth slightly and bit his lip. I felt him tense up for a second, but when I didn't pull away from him, he didn't stop. I bit his lower lip again and he slightly opened up his mouth too. We both moved our mouths together like dancing. Then, I took another step and opened my mouth wider, which he copied. I wasn't sure what to do next. I'd never done it before, and I'm pretty sure neither has he, but he didn't stop me from opening his mouth so I tried. I slowly stuck my tongue into his mouth and I waited to see if he'd reject it, but he didn't. He slowly slid his tongue into my mouth. Both of our tongues danced together and as soon as they touched my mouth was like an explosion. It's like if you've ever had popping candy. You know how it seems to tingle your tongue and the insides of your cheeks. That's how it feels. It felt different. More different than anything I've ever experienced in my life, but it was not uncomfortable. I didn't want to stop. I could tell he didn't either because as he got tired of standing he didn't stop. Instead, he dipped me over and squatted down. I bent my legs and sat on the floor. He was almost on top of me, but we didn't stop. He then sat down as well. In this position, though, it seemed as if I couldn't get close enough to him. I know the gazebo floor is hard, but I pulled myself closer to him and he pulled me in. Soon enough I was on his lap. He pulled me there. I didn't know what was going on, but I didn't stop him. All I could do was to feel the fire and explosions going on. I don't know what was going on through my head. All I kept thinking was 'pull me closer', or 'I want to be closer'. I wanted to feel his warmth more. I wanted to make sure he was there with me, and that he would never leave me. Not like he had the night before in my dreams. I would make sure that wouldn't happen. I wasn't listening for the music anymore, nor could I hear it. Maybe, it was off. Maybe, I was just too engrossed in something else. Maybe, it was because I could only hear the blood pumping to my temples so close to my ears. Maybe, it was a combination of all three. Whatever it was, I didn't care. All I wanted was Ulrich. He was there with me, and that's all that mattered. After about a half an hour solid, we came up for air. We were both panting. I could see him breathing hard. I felt his chest rise and fall under my hand. He pulled my head to his chest, and I could hear him breathe. He then did something that was very surprising to me. I didn't know Ulrich was that kind of guy. I didn't know if he was the sensitive type or not, but this surprised me. He lifted my hand into his and brought it up to his mouth. Then, he kissed every one of my fingertips on my right hand. I closed my eyes and relaxed as he repeated this a few times over. I felt his breathing become slower and more relaxed and he kissed my forehead. I smiled and took a deep breath. Then, I opened my eyes and repeated his gesture on the finger tips of his left hand. We stayed like that for a while. We didn't want to leave. I never want to leave. I hope I never have to leave him.

**I hope you liked it  
Please review!  
Review for a preview of the next chapter!  
You don't have to have an account!  
I hope you can wait fo the next chapter.  
I'll try to update once more before I go on vacation.  
**


	27. Sometimes You Need To Be Alone

**Well, Here's the next chapter  
You won't be getting any more for a while because I'm going on vacation.  
I won't be able to do previews either, but I will do them as soon as I get back!  
Well, enjoy this chapter and I hope you can wait for the next one.  
You can always read some of my oneshots or other stories while you wait.  
I have a new oneshot out!  
Well, anyway...enjoy!  
R&R**

**No Matter What They Say**

**Chapter 27: Sometimes You Need to Be Alone**

Milly: Pov

"Milly, we need to talk."

"I don't want to talk." Why can't people just leave me alone? Why can I just cry in the lobby without being bothered?"

"Come on, Milly," Tamiya insisted. She rolled me over and made me look at her. She looked surprised. I guess she didn't expect to see me crying either. "I ­_was _going to ask why you ran away, but now I think the better question is: why are you crying. So, why are you crying?"

"I don't know." I wiped my eyes with the back of my hand. I didn't want to talk to her. I tried to turn away again, but she held my shoulder firm, forcing me to keep toward her.

"What do you mean you don't know?" Tamiya asked.

"I just don't know, Tamiya. I'm just confused. I just couldn't take it. I was too overwhelmed and I just couldn't take it. It was just all too fast and my head was making me all confused. I didn't know what to do. I just ran."

"Milly, you really hurt him. Hiroki really got hurt. He ran after you. He was really sad and upset. We were all confused. You looked really cute together."

"Yeah, well, maybe I don't want to look cute! Maybe, I don't know what I want. Maybe, I just don't know anything. It was all really confusing," I said trying not to cry anymore.

"How were you confused?"

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Come on, Milly. Talk to me please. I can help."

"Oh, come on Tamiya! How can you help?! You don't have any more experience than I do! It's not like you can tell me what to do. It's not like you know how good it feels to hold his hand, or how much I want to see his face, or how much it hurt me to run. It's not like you know how much I liked that, but how much it confused me to be there," I said getting worked up. It felt good to yell at her. It relieved some of my anger. "You don't know how much I enjoyed holding his hand, but how much it confused me. How can you help me? What can you do to help me stop loving him?" As soon as I spit it out, I regretted it. Tamiya stared at me blank-faced.

"You- you _love _him?"

"Well, I mean…I mean. I think I'm too young, and I'm just afraid. I don't want to, but it's just I was confused, but I think maybe…yea, I might."

"Well, then why did you run away?!"

"Tamiya! I was confused! I'm too young to be in love! We're a year apart."

"So! So are Yumi and Ulrich, but they don't care!"

I knew this already, but each time people tell me this I feel a little better. Their relationship worked out and that means that mine might be able to too. "Well, that's them. I don't know. I don't know what to do at all! I'm just confused. I've explained as best as I can. Can I just be alone for a while?"

"Sure. If that's what you want."

"That's what I want. Don't tell Hiroki or Johnny. Please, Tamiya."

She looked leery for a moment, but then she agreed. "Fine, but I don't like it. I don't like seeing Hiroki upset, or you for that matter. I'll see you around, Milly."

I watched her go. She just left me alone like I wanted, but I didn't feel any better. I felt worse. I wanted to see Hiroki. I shouldn't want to, but I do.

------m------

"So, what are we going to do, Odd?" Aelita asked as she helped him walk away from the hospital. "We're not allowed back to my room. I promised Ulrich I'd keep it free, just in case."

"We can't go to my room either. I promised Ulrich too," Odd said and smiled.

"We could always go to a movie or get a hot chocolate or something," Jared said and smiled.

"No, I don't want a hot chocolate," Odd said and winced.

"Since when do you turn down food?" Aelita asked.

"Yeah, Odd," Jeremie taunted. "Or, is it because that's where you saw Aelita and Jared together?"

"No, it's not…."

"It would bring back to many bad memories wouldn't it?" Jeremie said continuing to taunt them.

"Jeremie, I thought you said you'd lay off!" Aelita whispered harshly at him.

"Yeah, well, I never learned what you and Jared were doing together in the first place, and I'm still kind of upset that you don't want me, so maybe I won't lay off."

"Jeremie! You're being stupid!"

"Oh, I am? It seems like you're being stupid if you don't think Odd won't figure out that you're two-timing him!"

"What!" Aelita gasped.

"You said you didn't like Jared like that!" Odd accused.

"I don't! Jeremie's just being stupid!"

"Odd, you were there when her head was on his chest. Do you really think they had to be like that? Why did Aelita tell you she didn't want to be with you, and then go hang out with this new guy?"

"Aelita, you didn't do that on purpose did you?" Odd asked shocked.

"Of course not, I would never…."

"You think she's going to be honest now after all that she lied about?" Jeremie taunted again.

"Hey, Aelita just needed a friend!" Jared tried to protest.

"And she doesn't have any _girl _friends that she could have asked for advice?" Jeremie said, continuing to taunt them.

"Odd, you have to believe me!"

Odd thought to himself for a moment. "I don't know anymore."

"What!? Odd, I never liked Jared like that!"

"If you didn't, you wouldn't have had you're head on his chest."

"Exactly!" Jeremie said.

"I-I, Odd. Why don't you believe me?"

"Jeremie might be right for once."

"What!?" Aelita gasped. She was too shocked. She had heard enough. She didn't plan to stay and hear more. She ran away.

"Wait, Aelita!" Jared shouted after her, but she didn't look back. She left Odd, Jeremie, and Jared on the route back from the hospital and ran. She ran all the way back to the resort and ran into her room. She was crying. She just got yelled at by the one person she thought had changed and the one she loved didn't even believe her anymore. She didn't want to stay in her room. She wasn't supposed to. She ran to her closet and tried to find something else to wear. She was going to go out tonight. She would get away from all of her troubles. She picked out some hot pink tights and put them on. Then she picked out a slinky black dress that she bought when she helped pick out Yumi's with Ulrich. It was sleeveless, tight-fitted, and short. It only came halfway down her thighs. She hurried into the restroom and brushed on some eye shadow and put on some eyeliner. She then grabbed a small pink purse and slipped some money in. Then she stepped into some black heels and walked out. She headed downstairs and went to a teen bar. She walked in and sat at the bar. She didn't plan on drinking, but she just sat there thinking about her life. No one would look for her there. She heard singing in the background. There was a small stage to her left. She looked up and saw that it was Karaoke night. She ordered a coke and sat there alone.

------m------

Jeremie and Odd were yelling at each other. "You guys are idiots!" Jared yelled at them. "You just made Aelita run off! Who knows where she went! If you both like her so much, you've got an odd way of showing it. No pun intended."

"Yeah, well, you think you're so great!" Odd shouted at him. "You started this! If I hadn't seen Aelita with you I wouldn't have gotten in this fight!"

"So, you're blaming me?"

"Yeah, I'm blaming you 'cause it's your fault!"

"Well, fine. Blame me, but while you're blaming me you may want to know that Aelita wasn't lying. We don't have anything together," Jared said. "All the while we were talking, we were talking about you."

"You said they had something together," Odd said and turned to Jeremie harshly.

"Hey, don't look at me that way. Anyone could have mistaken that! We all thought she like him," Jeremie said defensively.

"We all…who?" Odd asked him, glaring.

"Ok, fine. Just me, but still, _anyone _could have mistaken them for being together!"

"You know, I never should have trusted you. That was stupid of me. You just want Aelita for yourself! You didn't want to help me or our relationship," Odd said and turned away from him. "Hey, Jared, I'm sorry. No hard feelings?"

"Yeah, sure. It's fine."

"You think you can help me go after her?"

"Help you?" Jared asked, but felt stupid after about a second. _Idiot, Odd's having trouble walking. You need to actually help him go after her as in help him walk. _"Sure, I'll help. It's no problem."

"Thanks," Odd said and tried to smile, but felt awkward. He just insulted this guy, and he still is offering to help him. Jared grabbed his elbow and together they walked/ hobbled in the direction Aelita ran away.

------m------

There was a brunette guy sitting a few tables away from Aelita, and he'd been eyeing her for a while. He whispered something to one of his friends and it looked as if he was going to go talk to her. Aelita looked away from him, but instead of coming over to her, he went up to the small stage and asked the DJ to play the song he whispered in his ear. The DJ smiled and the brunette got on stage. He was wearing a blue t-shirt with a skateboarding company logo on it. He had a brown jacket on top, and was also wearing a pair of blue jeans.

"Hey, guys, what's up? How ya doing tonight!?" he shouted to the audience who screamed in applause. "This song goes out for that _bea-u-tiful_ lady over there with the bubblegum pink hair! I thought this song would suit you well! Don't Trust Me by 3Oh!3!" Aelita looked up and the brunette on stage winked at her. Everyone in the audience turned and looked back, but then focused on the brunette again. He must go there often because the crowd was wilder for him than for the previous people who sang on stage. The song started playing and the brunette sang well. His voice was really good and the entire audience applauded after his first few words.

"Black dress, with the tights underneath." He winked over at her again, but Aelita just looked down at her pink tights thinking of whether or not to leave. "I've got the breath of a last cigarette on my teeth. And she's an actress, but she ain't got no need. She's got money from her parents in a trust fund back east." The people in the crowd all started dancing in a huge mash pit.  
"T-t-t-tongues, always pressed to your cheeks, while my tongue is on the inside of some other girl's teeth. T-tell your boyfriend, if he says he's got beef, that I'm a vegetarian, and I ain't f***ing scared of him," he sang and smiled.

"She wants to touch me whoa-oh. She wants to love me whoa-oh. She'll never leave me whoa-oh, whoa-oh, oh, oh. Don't trust a hoe. Never trust a hoe. Won't trust, 'cause a hoe won't trust me. She wants to touch me whoa-oh. She wants to love me whoa-oh. She'll never leave me whoa-oh, whoa-oh, oh, oh. Don't trust a hoe. Never trust a hoe. Won't trust, 'cause a hoe won't trust me." He really was getting into the Karaoke more than anyone Aelita had ever seen before. She'd hardly ever seen Karaoke before and it definitely wasn't like this. It had never been dedicated to her either.  
"X's on the back of your hands, wash them in the bathroom to drink like the bands, and the set list you stole off the stage had red and purple lipstick all over the page," he said and smiled. "Br-br-br-bruises cover your arms." Aelita looked at her arms. She had almost forgotten they were even there. Maybe that's why he was staring at her before. "Shaking in the fingers with the bottle in your palm. And the best is no one knows who you are, just another girl: alone at the bar." He kept staring at her and shook his finger at her. She blushed and turned away. She was really thinking about leaving.  
"She wants to touch me whoa-oh. She wants to love me whoa-oh. She'll never leave me whoa-oh, whoa-oh, oh, oh. Don't trust a hoe. Never trust a hoe. Won't trust, 'cause a hoe won't trust me," he sang and shook his finger at her playfully. "She wants to touch me whoa-oh. She wants to love me whoa-oh. She'll never leave me whoa-oh, whoa-oh, oh, oh. Don't trust a hoe. Never trust a hoe. Won't trust, 'cause a hoe won't trust me." The entire crowd screamed and applauded. Aelita looked up and thought it was over, but as if everyone in the room knew the song, which it looked like they did, they all sang together. "Shush girl, shut your lips. Do the Helen Keller and talk with your hips. I said, 'shush girl, shut your lips.' Do the Helen Keller and talk with your hips. I said, 'shush girl, shut your lips.' Do the Helen Keller and talk with your hips." The crowd applauded again and continued to dance.

The brunette on stage continued the song alone, "She wants to touch me whoa-oh. She wants to love me whoa-oh. She'll never leave me whoa-oh, whoa-oh, oh, oh. Don't trust a hoe. Never trust a hoe. Won't trust, 'cause a hoe won't trust me. She wants to touch me whoa-oh. She wants to love me whoa-oh. She'll never leave me whoa-oh, whoa-oh, oh, oh. Don't trust a hoe. Never trust a hoe. Won't trust, 'cause a hoe won't trust me." He took a bow and the entire crowd applauded again. The song was over just like that. Someone else, not as popular, got up to sing next and it was normal again. Aelita took another sip of her drink. A waitress came up to her.

"Seems like we're little miss popularity tonight. If Stephen sings you a song, that's something. I haven't even seen you here before," she said and smirked.

"I just came here to get away from all the drama in my life!"

"Looks like drama just likes following you. Want something stronger than coke?"

"Oh, no. I don't drink," she said and laughed a bit.

"Yeah, yeah. That's what everyone in this joint says, but by the end of the night they're buying beers. You want a refill?"

"Sure."

The waitress left and returned with a refill quickly. The brunette went back to his table and high fived some of his friends, then headed toward the bar. He took the seat to the left of Aelita. "Hey, I'm Stephen, but you probably already know that," he said and smirked.

"No, I'm sorry. I didn't. We've never met."  
"Yeah, well. Now, we have. Most people know me, who they don't know is you. You're new here, and you came alone. Must be brave. Now, what's you're name?"

"Um, Aelita. I'd better be going."

"Hey, you just got another coke. Come on, stay and chat with me. No one turns me down."

"I've got a boyfriend you know!" she said, which wasn't entirely a lie.

"Yeah, well that's just dandy. I'll be happy to pay for you're coke if you stay. I still want a chat. You could tell me how you got those bruises. Heh heh, you really do fit the song quite well," he said and smiled. "Or you could tell me why you're here. I've never seen you here before and you don't look like the type of girl who'd come here. Or you could tell me if that pink hair of yours is really natural or if you just decided to dye it."

"I'd really rather just go," Aelita said and tried to get up.

"Come on, just talk with me."

"I'd rather not."

"What's the harm?"

"Oh, trust me. I could tell you the harm. I know the harm in just talking. I'd talk with you and then someone I know would see us, and I'd get another rep. I have a boyfriend. I shouldn't stay and chat with you."

"Oh come on, please. I'd like to hear about your rep. I want to get to know you. At least just answer my questions," he pleaded and gave her a puppy dog look.

"Fine! My hair is natural, I came here to get away from drama, and I'd rather not talk about the bruises. Happy? I'll be going," she said blankly and left the bar.

Stephen watched her go, and then he turned back to his friends. They laughed at him. "Oh, Stephen got shot down! First time ever!" one of his friends said, taunting him.

"Oh, shut up," he said. "She wanted me, and she'll be back."

------m------

Jared and Odd were walking around the bottom floor of the resort, looking for Aelita when they finally saw her turn the corner and head toward them. "Aelita!" Odd shouted, calling her.

"Leave me alone, Odd. I thought you didn't believe me," she said and turned and started to walk away.

"No, wait! I'd run after you, but obviously, I can't!" Odd shouted and Aelita stopped in her tracks. "Look at me. I came after you. I'm with Jared. That should tell you something! We left Jeremie by himself on that road heading back here. I'm sorry I didn't believe you. Jeremie was being stupid."

Aelita smiled and then turned around. "I knew you'd come around soon enough." She ran to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. He wrapped his arms around her waist. She gave him a quick hug and then pulled out. Before Odd let go, she did something unexpected. She kissed him. Right there in the hallway, she kissed him. She didn't warn him, and didn't warn Jared to leave. That was their first real kiss. At first Odd was surprised, but soon enough he was kissing back, in the hallway in the bottom floor of the resort in front of Jared, and he loved every bit of it.

"I've never done that before," Aelita said once she pulled out of the kiss. "Not with you or anyone else for that matter. That first day doesn't count. I didn't want to, and you only did it to stop me from hitting you."

"Well, you were amazing this time," Odd said shocked, "and trust me, I would know."

Aelita laughed. Jared was staring at his feet and humming to himself. Aelita laughed again and pushed Jared so that he almost fell over. "Hey, what was that for? Odd gets a kiss, and I get pushed?" he said bewilderedly.

"You didn't have to stare at your shoes and hum," she said and laughed.

"Yeah, well, I didn't have to stare at you guys either."

"Yeah, sorry about that," she said and laughed again. "Hey, Odd, you want to go get a hot chocolate? That café was pretty good. You'd like it."

"Oh, I don't know."

"Oh, come on. Pleeeeease?" She asked and stuck out her lower lip and begged.

"Oh, alright."

"Great! Come on!" she said and grabbed his elbow, and started to walk away with a slightly quick pace. "You won't regret it." Aelita on a sudden impulse turned back again and saw Jared walking away. "Hey, Jared, where are you going?"

"Back to my room."

"You're welcome to come and join us!" Aelita insisted.

"No, I wouldn't want to intrude," he said and smiled at Odd. The smile he had quickly faded and Odd could tell that he didn't want to go back to his room.

"No, it's fine, Jared. I want you to come," Odd said and motioned for him to follow. "You don't look like you want to go back to your room anyway. Any reason?"

"You have no idea! My dad and stepmom might be in there doing God knows what, and if they aren't then my brothers are in there just waiting to pick on me for not getting a girlfriend yet. I really didn't want to intrude, but I didn't want to go back there either."

"Well, we're glad to have your company," Odd said and smiled at him.

"Thanks," Jared said and smiled. "You guys are the best friends I've ever had."

**So, I hope you liked it!  
Please review!  
PLEASE!?**


	28. I Can Help You With That

**Ok, yes. I know I haven't added a chapter in forever.  
You'll have to get used to it.  
I have school.  
School takes time.  
You'll get used to it eventually.  
Here's the newest chapter.  
Enjoy, and REVIEW PLEASE!  
I'll love you!  
Ok, maybe not love! lol, but I'll give you a preview!**

**No Matter What They Say**

**Chapter 28: I Can Help You With That**

Hiroki: Pov

I was just going to go on a walk. A normal, everyday, ordinary walk. A walk where you can forget about all of your troubles. I was just going to go on a walk. The thing was: I couldn't _just _go on a walk. I had to think. I couldn't just enjoy my time away from everybody, I had to think. Why did I have to think? _Hiroki, I-I I can't do this. I-I just…can't. Just leave, Hiroki! I don't want to talk! I didn't know she would run away like that._ I tried to shake their words from my head. I tried to shake her image from my head. I tried to forget about all three of them, but I couldn't. I couldn't forget about her. I couldn't keep her image from my mind. She was just so beautiful. I could hear her words in my head. It was as if she was standing there next to me. Her voice kept saying my name in my ear. _Hiroki. Hiroki. Hiroki! _It was so realistic and almost insistent to a point where it almost got annoying. _Hiroki! Just turn around! _Alright now it was weird. I turned around. I feel stupid. Milly was standing there behind me. She had been saying my name. "Oh, sorry, Milly. I didn't know you were there. What did you want?"

"I wanted to apologize to you. I'm really sorry, Hiroki."

"For what?" I don't really want to talk to her, but my feet planted me there. My hands started sweating and my heart started beating faster.

"For running, and yelling at you, and hurting you. I didn't mean to do any of that. I was just so confused, and I couldn't take it anymore," she said and looked away. "Could you ever forgive me?"

How could I not? "Yeah, sure." I looked at her. She looked better than she had looked when she was crying in the chair. She looked really good. "Could you answer me this though? Why did you run? What did I do wrong?"

"Nothing. You did nothing wrong."

"Then why did you run?" I asked. "There has to be some reason."

"I told you. I was confused."

"You ran because you were confused? How were you confused?"

"I was confused because," she started, but cut herself off. She took a deep breath and swallowed. "I was confused because…because I have never felt like this before. I was always told that I couldn't feel like this until I was older. I was always told that I was too young. I was always too young for everything. Too young to drive. Too young to drink. To young to count for anything. Too young to matter much. Too young to go to dances. Too young to do anything. Too young to…love." She took a glance up and looked quickly away. "I haven't ever felt like this. Your hand felt too good, and you started looking different: less like a little boy that I see randomly walking around on campus, and more like a really cute guy that I wanted to get to know better. When you called me beautiful it was all I could handle. I couldn't take all of the changes. They were too quick, and I couldn't keep up. When I looked at you, my head would get fuzzy, my stomach would get queasy, and my hands would get sweaty. I didn't know what was happening. I got confused and scared, and I just didn't want to be confused, so I ran."

"You were confused because things were changing too quickly? Was I going to fast or something?"

"No, weren't you listening!? You did nothing! I was confused because I thought I was too young to be in love!" she blurted out, but quickly realized what she had done and covered her mouth.

I stared at her wide-eyed. "You think you're in _love_?"

"Um, well. Yeah, I guess. I think so, I mean. I've never felt this way before and this is my last option." Milly looked at me worrisome.

"So, you really like me?" I asked still in shock. "I didn't hurt you somehow or make you uncomfortable or something?"

"Nope. If anyone hurt someone, I probably hurt you." Milly looked at me. She tried to smile, but couldn't quite make it all the way. "It's just weird for me. Your smile just makes my stomach queasy and my heart flutter."

Could it be that Milly is really telling me the truth? She looks so wonderful. I don't want her to leave. She's amazing. My hands are starting to sweat more. My heart is pounding loudly in my chest. Can she hear that? Are my cheeks turning red?

Milly: Pov

Oh my gosh, he's just so cute. My hands are getting clammy again. I hope he doesn't take my hand. That would be embarrassing. Should we do anything else, but just stand here staring at each other? His smile just makes me want to smile back.

_There is something that I see  
In the way you look at me  
There's a smile, there's a truth in your eyes  
_

Am I really supposed to be here? Should I stay? Is he really blushing or is that just from the cold? Oh my gosh, am I blushing? Do I even belong here with him? Is this even right? "I've always been told I'm too young to be in love."

"Well, what do you say?"

"I say, I don't care what people say. I feel the way I feel when I feel it."

_  
But an unexpected way  
On this unexpected day  
Could it mean this is where I belong  
It is you I have loved all along_

"So, you're not lying?" Hiroki asked shyly. He turned away slightly, but glanced back once. "You won't lead me on again, and then run away?"

"No, I promise. I'm not lying. I can't tell you how much this is weird to me. I can tell you the closest I've ever felt to this feeling was when I used to have a crush on Ulrich, but this feeling is still different." I looked away again, but looked back soon enough. "I think this might be more than just a crush." I'm sure I'm blushing now. I hope he doesn't notice.

It's no more mystery  
It is finally clear to me  
You're the home my heart searched for so long  
And it is you I have loved all along

"I think I've known this for a while, but I've just been too afraid to do anything about it," I said quietly.

"I've always known about the way I feel about you ever since I saw you. You just made me feel different." Hiroki smiled at me and I felt my knees go weak for a second. Pull yourself together, Milly. Keep it together. You don't want to fall in front of him. You'd look stupid.

"I guess I just had to run this time because I was scared of what this might mean for the both of us."

There were times I ran to hide  
Afraid to show the other side  
Alone in the night without you

"What does this mean for the both of us?" Hiroki asked. I haven't had much time to think about that answer.

"It means whatever you want it to mean. You know how I feel, and I know how you feel. You're the guy," I said and gave him a quick smile. I was getting really nervous. If he asks me that question, it will get around campus and everyone will know that I like a fifth grader. Oh, what am I kidding? I don't care who knows. I really like Hiroki. I belong with him, and I don't care what people say.

But now I know just who you are  
And I know you hold my heart  
Finally this is where I belong  
It is you I have loved all along

"Well, then. I guess this is it. I've never had a girlfriend before, but I'm willing to try anything. I know all about stuff from Yumi so don't worry, you don't need to tell me a thing," Hiroki said and muttered off awkwardly. "Anyway, Milly, do you even want to be my girlfriend?"

"Yes. I really do." I ran up to him and wrapped my arms around his neck. His arms wrapped around my waist. I hugged him tight, and didn't want to let him go. 

It's no more mystery  
It is finally clear to me  
You're the home my heart searched for so long  
And it is you I have loved all along

I felt his warmth around me and never wanted to let him go. It felt so good. It was like every part of me that was touching him was on fire and it felt good. I've never felt better in my life. It was as if I was filled with all the love of both of us. It was perfect. I could have stayed there for hours. It felt like I did. I never wanted it to stop.

Over and over  
I'm filled with emotion  
Your love, it rushes through my veins

It ended though, whether I wanted it to stop or not. It ended. He pulled out and so did I. I looked into his eyes and all I could do was smile. I smiled and I was most likely blushing, but I don't really care all that much. His face was so beautiful. He was so beautiful. He is beautiful and he thinks I'm beautiful. How can it get any better than this?

And I am filled  
With the sweetest devotion  
As I, I look into your perfect face

"You want to get a hot chocolate?" Hiroki asked me. I smiled again. I hardly even heard the question. I just nodded. He smiled at me. "Do you think we should invite Tamiya and Johnny?" I heard this question and I smiled again. I slowly shook my head. He smiled back at me.

"I think I love you. I think I've loved you all along," I said sweetly to him. He smiled at me. I can't look away from his face. He's intoxicating me.

"I think I love you too, but who knows for sure. After all," Hiroki said and smiled slyly at me. "You know, we're too young to be in love." I had to smile again at that. We both gave a small laugh.

It's no more mystery  
It is finally clear to me  
You're the home my heart searched for so long  
And it is you I have loved  
It is you I have loved  
It is you I have loved all along

"Let's go get that hot chocolate," I said and he nodded. I don't know who started first, but slowly his hand and my hand slid together and we grasped hands all the way there. Neither one of us made the comment that both of our hands were sweaty. I was beaming and I was pretty sure that I would remember today for the rest of my life.

------m------

"Aelita grab that table over there," Jared said, pointing to a table for three near the back of the café. "You and Odd can grab a seat while I get the hot chocolates." Jared smiled and Aelita nodded as she helped Odd over to the table and took a seat. She was still wearing Odd's coat. He had insisted on handing it over to her when they headed out to the café. He hadn't wanted her to get cold because she was in a sleeveless dress.

"Well, what do you want to do for the rest of the night? It's already getting dark," Odd asked.

"I don't know. We can do whatever you want. Hey, can I ask you something?"

"Sure, go ahead, princess," Odd said and smiled.

"Are we dating now? Like officially?" Aelita asked hesitantly.

"Well, I don't know. Are we? That's up to you, remember."

"Well, I want to be," Aelita started, "but, we're supposed to be cousins, remember? We can't exactly date."  
"Well, we both know we're not really cousins," Odd whispered.

"Yes, but people might get suspicious when word gets out that we're dating," Aelita said worriedly.

"Then, you don't want to date?"

"Well, I do, but…."

"You just don't want to tell anyone?"

"Is that ok?"

"Well, I mean, I guess," Odd said and sighed. "But, I just don't want to keep you a secret. Can't we just be like second or third cousins or something? Something where we can still date and have it not be weird. Or, we could just be weird people who date their own cousins." Odd smiled hopefully.

"I guess, we could, but it still would make certain people question whether I was really your cousin or not."

"Well, let them question it! Isn't our relationship more important?" Odd inquired.

Before Aelita could answer the question Jared walked up and sat down with the hot chocolates. "Sorry it took me so long. The line was really long. Here you guys go," he said and slid them each a cup of hot chocolate.

"Thanks," they both replied quickly. Odd took a quick sip.

"So, do ya like it?" Jared asked him. Odd nodded and took another sip. "Well, that's good. Are we doing anything tonight, or are you guys going somewhere or something? I wouldn't want to intrude on any of your plans." He smiled and took a sip of his hot chocolate.

"We haven't though much about it," Aelita said and took a sip from her cup. "If you have something in mind, you're welcome to share."

"Oh, no. I didn't have anything in mind."

"Well in that case," Odd started, but turned quickly and whispered into Aelita's ear so that Jared couldn't hear, "what do you say we go to one of the lounges here and _really get to know one another_? It would be fun. I'd make it worth your while."

Aelita looked over at Odd with wide eyes. Odd smiled at her. Then, he looked over at Jared. "We've got something to do now."

"Well, that's fine. I guess I'll get going after we finish the hot chocolate," he said quickly.

Aelita drained her cup quickly while they continued to have small talk about what they planned on doing the rest of the week.

"I'd love to go skiing as soon as I can," Odd said and swallowed the last bit of his hot chocolate. Jared smiled and nodded.

"Sounds fun. Give me a call if you decide to go," he said and exchanged numbers with the two of them.

"Well, we'd better be going," Odd said and smiled. "We've finished the hot chocolate. It was nice talking to ya." Jared nodded.

"Have fun."

"Bye," Aelita called, and grabbed Odd's elbow helping him out of the café and leaving Jared alone at their table. They walked a ways away from the café before Odd turned to Aelita, stopping her in her tracks.

"Which lounge do you want to go to?"

"How well are we getting to know each other?" Aelita asked. She looked a little skeptical. She lowered her voice so that Odd could barely hear her. "What are we going to be _doing_?"

Odd looked at her again. Then the wheels in his head clicked. She was worried how far he wanted her to go. "Ohhhh. No, not that far. We're just going to have some fun. Some good _clean_ fun." Aelita relaxed.

"Surprise me."

Odd led the way back to the resort, both of them stumbling a bit, Odd because his right knee was in a brace and Aelita because she was in heels. He entered the building and headed to the left, past the receptionist. He walked down the hallway and zigzagged his way to the lounge he was looking for. He knocked on the decorative frosted glass doors. When no one replied, he pulled the right one open. Aelita walked in first and Odd followed her, closing the door behind him and then locking it. There were two sofas in the room, both being rather large. They looked very comfortable. Next to each one was a side table with a lamp on the top. One of the side tables also had a clock on it. Aelita looked around the room. It was kind of dark, but Odd flipped on a switch that turned on the lamps. It was then dimly lit. In the middle of the room there was a big oriental rug. "Where do you want to sit?" he asked. "The rug, or this couch, or that one?"

"Did you really just offer me to sit on the rug?" Aelita asked.

"Well, yeah. Only if you want to."

"Could you even bend to sit on the floor?"

"I could try, if you really want to sit on the floor," Odd said and gave a half smile.

"You don't have to. I'll be happy on this couch," Aelita said motioning to the couch to the left of her. She walked over and took a seat. He followed her over and sat to her right. She smiled at him and he smiled back. "Well…," Aelita said awkwardly. "I don't know what to do now. I'm new at this whole thing, and I don't want to hurt you or something weird like that."

"It'll be fine, Aelita. Don't worry. I'm fine. Don't worry about anything, just relax," Odd shushed. "Just relax, and I'll guide you." He smiled provocatively. He inched closer to her just as she inched closer to him. When they were as close as they could be without being on top of each other, Odd tilted his head and Aelita mimicked his movement. They slid their heads closer together and both closed their eyes. Odd could smell Aelita's breath. It still smelled like hot chocolate and was very tempting. He slid his lips onto hers. He pressed firmly and massaged her lips. Her lips were soft, but tried to mimic his movements. She slowly got the hang of it and wrapped her arms around his neck. She pulled him in tighter toward her, but started to feel awkward as she couldn't get her body any closer to him. Odd felt her start to pull away and responded by wrapping his arms around her waist. He tried to pull her closer, but couldn't get her any closer. They both struggled to get closer to each other as their lips danced with each other. Odd finally took a risk and pulled Aelita closer to him. He pulled her so that she was sitting in his lap. She didn't pull away, so he pulled her closer. She pulled his head closer to her and pressed on his lips more firmly. She could taste the chocolate from both of their lips. Odd's arms were still pulling her waist closer and closer. Soon they were so close they were sharing body heat. Aelita quickly removed her arms from around his neck, but didn't stop kissing him. She quickly pulled her arms out of Odd's jacket and tossed it onto the floor. Then, she quickly wrapped her arms back around his neck. Aelita was enticed by him and couldn't get enough. She started to run her fingers through his hair and down his neck. Odd responded to the intensity by pulling her even closer than before and running his hands down her back. Her chest was pressed against his and she had never felt better in her life.

After making out for about 15 minutes Odd pulled out to take a breath. He looked at Aelita. She looked back at him. They were both breathing heavily. "How am I doing?" Aelita asked playfully.

"Excellent. You sure you haven't done this before?" he asked.

"Yup. I do think I need a bit more practice," she said playfully. She quickly took off her heels and threw them down by Odd's jacket.

"I can help you with that," he said and pulled her back into his arms again.

**Did you like it? Love it? Love Odd and Aelita?  
Tell me about it!  
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Stupid Homework!**


	29. Surprises

**Ok, Well here's the newest chapter for ya.  
Sorry it took so long.  
My schoolwork takes forever since I'm in all advanced classes.  
So, I hope you enjoy.  
Review for a preview cuz the preview may be all you get for a while.  
Enjoy!**

**No Matter What They Say**

**Chapter 29: Surprises**

Yumi: Pov

I looked around the room, while I was still in Ulrich's arms. My head was still on his chest, and I could feel it gently rising up and down underneath me. As I looked around the room, I noticed that the candles were growing smaller. We had spent a lot of time here tonight. I wondered to myself whether or not Ulrich had anything else prepared for tonight or if this was all that was in store for me. I looked up at him, and he looked back down at me and smiled. Goosebumps raced down my arms and tingled my back. I'm not sure if he noticed, but he continued to smile down at me. I smiled up at him as well and then leaned my head back against his chest again. I could feel my chest rise up and down in sync with his.

Ulrich turned and kissed me on the top of my head. "Yumi, do you want to stay here longer, or do you want to go back to my room or something?"

I thought to myself for a few seconds, wondering about whether or not I should go to Ulrich's room and what we would do there, but I ended up convincing myself that Ulrich probably wouldn't go any farther than making out all night. "We can go to your room if you're sure we won't be interrupted by Jeremie or Odd or William."

"I warned them all to stay out of our rooms tonight so if you want to go to my room, than we won't be disturbed."

"Ok," I said quickly. Ulrich took my by surprise and kissed my on my neck before helping me up. I stood on my feet dizzily. _Is Ulrich the one making me feel so…high? _My head was spinning and as I walked around the gazebo as he blew out the rest of the candles that were still lit, my feet stumbled and almost brought him down with me, but he paused to catch me each time I stumbled and just smiled at me giving a little chuckle as he did. I tried to smile back at him. Once he was finished blowing out all the candles, he led me to the door and opened it form me to step through, and closed it behind him. We walked quickly through the hallway back to the main building. I was staring at the stars as I went. I had been way too preoccupied in the gazebo than to just stare at the stars.

We walked into the lobby and down a small hall to the elevators. We took it up to the 5th floor and entered my room. I walked through and sat down on my bed as he turned and put the do not disturb sign on the door before locking it. "There," he said as he turned around and leaned against the door. "We definitely shouldn't be disturbed now." I laughed as he smiled at me. My heart was fluttering and I still felt high. He came over and sat down next to me on the bed. I kicked off my heels and pushed them away with my toes. As if taking a clue from me, Ulrich kicked off his own shoes as well.

------m------

Sissi smiled as she met her lifeguard friend in the lobby of the resort. "Hi!" she called as she crossed the rug to the doorway.

"Hi, Sissi. You look nice."

"So do you," she said and smiled at him. "So, where are we going anyway, Kiptyn?"

"Well, yeah, um I was gonna just go to get a burger at one of the restaurants here. That's ok, right?"

"Oh, yeah. Sure," she said with a smile.

They started walking toward one of the smaller restaurants inside the building and quickly got a table and ordered their food. When Kiptyn ordered a burger and fries, Sissi, of course, followed suit.

"So, Sissi, are you enjoying your stay here?"

"I am now," she said smiling. "How long have you been a lifeguard?"

"Since I was in 7th grade. I trained with some of the older lifeguards at first, but now I'm legally able to be one by myself."

"Oh really, and how old are you now?" Sissi asked in a dazed voice.

"I'll be 17 in October, but I can't wait until I turn 18 and can drive! Man, I really want a car. That'll be the day," he stated and took a sip of his drink. As he was preoccupied with thinking about his car, Sissi's face turned red. She obviously hadn't known that he was 16 and now didn't want to tell him that she was only 14. It didn't even help that her birthday was in November and she could be considered 14 ½ because even by the time she was 15, he'd be 17 already. Her father would never approve. She just wouldn't tell him. "Well, enough of that. How old are you?"

"Oh, me?" _Great! What should I tell him? I can't lie to him. What if he finds out? But, what if he doesn't like me if he knows I'm only 14? Well, someone will tell him eventually. _

"Yeah, you," he said with a laugh. "Who else is here?"

"Oh, right," Sissi said and forced herself to chuckle a bit. "Does it matter?"

"Well, I guess not, but you asked me, so I thought I'd ask you too. I mean it is only fair."

"Well, I'm younger than you for sure," she stammered and tried to hide back her mortification.

He raised his eyebrow. "Ok. How much younger? Like _a lot_ younger? Wait, you're not like some really tall 12 year old or something weird like that, are you?" he asked, getting kind of nervous.

"No, no. I'm not _that _young. I'm just not as old as you," she said and gave an awkward smile.

"Well, tell me already! I'm dying here!"

"Well, I guess I'll say I'm almost 15 to make it sound better."

"You mean you're 14? When's your birthday anyway? Like a few weeks or what?"

"More like a few months. It's in November. I really hope you're not mad. We just never got around to ages before and I didn't know you were almost 17! I'm sorry."

"Ok, I don't believe that. You are still tall for your age, and you wanted to make me think you were older. You knew I was much older than you, didn't you?" he asked crossing his arms.

"Ok, I did know you were older than me, but I didn't know it was more than 2 years. I thought it was maybe 1 ½ at the most. I promise! I'm not lying!"

He stared at her for a moment, his eyebrow still raised. He finally sighed and uncrossed his arms. "Fine. We can try this out."

"What do you mean? Try what? What are we trying?" Sissi asked getting her hopes up.

"We can hang out. You know, like you come to the pool when I'm working. I come to eat lunch with you on a snack break. We'll try and get along and see if we get along as _just friends_. I'm not making any promises, kid, but we can give it a try," he said and smirked as he looked her up and down. Sissi smiled. "You really did have me fooled. I thought for sure you were at least 15 if not 16. I guess you're just tall. Too bad, 'cause you're pretty cute." He smirked again.

The waitress came up to their table and put down the identical plates, one in front of each of them, and asked if there was anything else she could do. They both shook their heads and she quickly left to attend to another table, leaving them to eat their burgers on their own.

------m------

Aelita took a gasp as she came up for air. She was panting and shaking slightly. Odd just sat there smiling at her. Aelita raised an eyebrow at him, "What are you all smiley about?"

"Oh, nothing," he said and smirked slightly. "Why are you panting so much anyway? Can't keep up?"

Aelita pursed her lips, not wanting to give him the satisfaction of a yes which would have been the truth. "No. I can keep up," she lied instead.

"Then why are you panting?"

"Because…, well, because I'm hot. Yeah, it's hot in here, in case you hadn't noticed."

"Oh really? That's the reason?"

"Yes, that's the reason!"

"Well, I guess it is _kind of_ hot in here," he said and shrugged and with much effort he kicked off his shoes. "At least you're in a dress. I'm in long sleeves and pants."

"So, it's never seemed to bother you before, and anyway you could take off your shirt if you really did get hot. It's not like I'd have that option. Plus, my tights make me even hotter."

"I'll say," Odd said and chuckled as he raised his eyebrows.

Aelita hit him playfully on the arm. "That's not what I meant. They're much tighter than pants and therefore make the temperature that my legs feel go up."

"You could have just said hotter. There's no need for fancy lingo," Odd said and smirked at her. "Plus, you could take them off if you really wanted to. I mean if that was really the reason why you were panting anyway, and it wasn't some other reason."

"Nope, it wasn't some other reason."

"Then why don't you take them off if you're so hot?" Odd asked as he smirked, thinking that he was going to catch Aelita in a lie. "I promise I won't look. That is unless you're not actually all that hot."

Aelita scowled as she thought of the predicament she had gotten herself into. If she didn't take off her tights, then Odd would know she was lying. If she did take them off then Odd would leave her alone and wouldn't know that she had been lying. The only problem was: if she took off the tights she would be in a black dress that didn't even go halfway down her thighs without anything but underwear underneath. That was a little more showy than she would have liked to be. "Um…," she started, "as long as you won't look," she said and her pride won out. "You have to promise," she said sternly.

"Oh, I won't look, princess. I promise."

She quickly got up out of his lap and went and sat on the other couch. "Now, close your eyes and don't open them until I say you can."

"Alright, alright," Odd said and closed his eyes then leaned his head back on the couch. He even placed his hands over his eyes for good measure. Aelita rolled her eyes and quickly took off her pink tights. Then, she stood up and pulled her dress down to try to cover more of her thighs. As she walked back over she threw her tights down by Odd's jacket and her shoes. She sat down next to Odd again.

"Alright, I've finished. You can open your eyes." He did so, and she blushed slightly as he looked over at her.

"I think you were wrong."

"What? How?"

"I think you're hotter without the tights," he said and smiled.

"Odd!" she retorted and hit him on the arm again.

"Hey! That's no reason to hit a guy!"

Aelita rolled her eyes at him.

"Well, it seems you've stopped panting. I guess maybe it was the tights," Odd said and shrugged. Aelita just smiled knowing he was most likely humoring her. "Now how about I teach you some more?"

Odd leaned in and began to kiss her again as Aelita tried to imitate his movements. She tried to be a quick learner. They weren't at it for more than a minute before Odd hoisted Aelita back up into his lap. She wrapped her arms around his neck and twined her fingers through his hair as she pulled herself closer into his arms. He had wrapped his around her waist as before. Soon she was kneeling in his lap trying to get closer into him as his hands traveled her back. They continued for sometime before breaking apart again for air.

Aelita was dazed as she gazed into his eyes. She was still a bit overwhelmed from all of the new action that was forming into her new lifestyle. Aelita's hands were still twined into Odd's hair as she gazed down onto his face. It took her a while to realize exactly where Odd's hands were resting. One arm was on her lower back with his hand on her waist, and the other had somehow found its way down onto the back of her left thigh. His hand was touching her bare skin and was almost under her skirt. As she realized this, she blushed, untwined her hands from his hair, and backed herself off the couch. Her mouth was agape slightly as she stood there staring at him. He stood up, but as he did she took an involuntary step backwards.

"Aelita, I'm sorry. I didn't know. I'm sorry. I guess you're just not ready for that. I won't try anything else tonight. I promise."

"What…were you trying to do exactly?" she asked as she still stared at him. Her eyes were getting wider.

"Oh, Aelita," Odd stared as he realized what she meant. "You don't think I would…I mean…I wouldn't even go there. I mean I wasn't even conscious of where my hand was. I promise."

Aelita took another small step backwards.

"Really, Aelita. I didn't mean to do something like that this fast. I promise I won't do it again. Well, at least not until you're ready," he said sweetly and sincerely. He reached out and grabbed her hand with his. He held it in both of his as he rubbed it with one of his thumbs. "I promise."

Aelita looked down at her hand and then back at his face, skeptical.

"I promise," Odd stated firmly again and gave her a serious smile.

Aelita nodded as her surprised face slowly turned into a smile. "Ok, Odd. I believe you."

"I keep forgetting that you're so new at this stuff. I promise that I won't go any farther than what you're ready for."

"Thanks, Odd. I really appreciate that."

"No problem."

"Odd, we can't go to our rooms, right?"

"Yeah, they're off limits right now."

"Then, we've got to do something else to occupy our time."

"Where are you going with this Aelita?" Odd asked skeptically. He raised an eyebrow at her.

"You'll see," she said quickly. Then, she quickly grabbed her tights and shoes and started walking toward the door. Odd looked over at her. "Are you coming or what?"

"Fine." He grabbed his coat and shoes from off the floor and headed out of the room behind her. They walked down the hallways as quickly as Odd could. "Now where exactly are we going?"

"I just want to do something spontaneous. Are you with me?" she asked as she continued walking.

"Um, depends. What are we doing?"

"Oh, fine you don't have to, but I am!" Aelita quickly walked down a hallway and Odd knew where she was going.

"What?! Why are we going here?" he asked as they stepped into the room.

"Because I just feel like doing something spontaneous. I realize that you're injured and you may not want to but I am."

"In your clothes and everything?"

"Well, I'm surely not taking them off!" She quickly dropped her tights and shoes on the floor and ran up to the edge and jumped into the pool's deep end. She sank to the bottom and pushed off with her feet. Then, she rose back up to the top and broke surface as she treaded the water. She was smiling at Odd who was sitting on the lounge chair next to where she'd dropped her clothes. He was laughing at her. She floated onto her back and started backstroking toward the shallow end of the pool. Aelita reached the end of the shallow end quickly and stood up, her waist sticking out of the water, making her already tight dress cling to her body ever more because it was wet. Her wet, pink hair clung to her head and slightly covered her eyes. She pushed it out of the way and smiled at Odd from the other side of the room. He continued to laugh at her, but smiled as well.

"What'd you do that for?"

"I already told you! I wanted to add some spontaneity to my life! This was the first thing I could think off, and frankly it was fun!"

"Um…in English please?" he asked confused.

Aelita laughed and quickly translated. "I wanted to do something 'random', and this was the first thing I could think of!"

"Oooooh! Since when do you do that kind of stuff?"

"Since, I don't have to be so boring anymore!" Aelita yelled and jumped onto her stomach and started swimming back toward the deep end of the pool again. Odd smiled at her remark. She was being random because she didn't have to be so boring anymore. _It was because she was with me and not Jeremie, right?_ _I bring out the fun side in Aelita! Don't I?_ He watched her swim her way to the edge again, grip on to the side, and stare at him.

"Why are you staring at me like that?!"

"When are you gonna get in?"

"Um…Aelita, I don't think I should."

"Oh, come on, Odd. Just get in. You don't have to jump in or anything! Just get in the shallow end! Pleeeeease?" she asked as she stared at him with a puppy-dog look on her face.

"I'm not sure. I really want to go skiing, and I think I should lay off my wrist and knee, so that I can."

"Oh, come on! The shallow end won't hurt you. You can even sit on the steps if you have to!" she insisted. "Come on, pleeease."

He pondered to himself for a moment then sighed, giving in. "Fine, but I'm not swimming! I really want to ski! And, you'll be coming with me!"

"Fine, fine! Just get in!"

He walked over to the steps of the shallow end as Aelita swam back toward them. He slowly waded down the steps until he was waist deep in the water, just like Aelita. His jeans were now soaking and so was the bottom of his shirt. He looked down at it, and on a smart tone, he took it off so that it wouldn't become any wetter than it already was. He then tossed it up onto the side of the pool.

Odd was grimacing and Aelita soon noticed it. "What's wrong?"

"It's just my knee. The water makes it hurt a bit. It's nothing," he said and tried to crack a smile for her.

"Maybe, this will make you feel better," she said as she walked up to him and kissed him once. "Better?"

"A little," he said jokingly.

She kissed him once more. "How about now?"

"Much better." He smiled at her and she smiled back and wrapped her arms around his neck. He put his hands on her waist and they stood there together just staring at each other, in their clothes, in the pool. Aelita slowly pulled him deeper into the pool so that their shoulders were just above the water, but nothing else.

"Tell me if this hurts you, or feels bad in any way," Aelita stated boldly and he nodded. Then, she wrapped her arms a little tighter around his neck and pushed her legs off the ground so that she could wrap them around his waist. She blushed slightly.

Odd looked pretty shocked, but before he could say anything Aelita kissed him once more. Then, she looked back into his face. "Does this hurt you?"

He shook his head.

"Does this feel bad in any way?"

He shook his head.

"Should I get down?"

He shook his head again, and she smiled at him.

"I think I'm learning, Odd," she said and smiled teasing him.

Odd tried his best to wrap his arms around her waist without hurting his wrist. He nodded.

"Do you like this?"

He nodded, still speechless. He could only feel Aelita wrapped around him: her bare arms around his neck and her bare legs around his bare waist.

"Ok," she said and kissed him once more, in her strapless dress, in the pool, in winter.

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	30. Fun and Games

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**No Matter What They Say**

**Chapter 30: Fun and Games**

"Hiroki, this was a great idea. Thanks."

"It was nothing," he replied and smiled at her from across the table.

"This really is the best hot chocolate I've ever had."

"I'm glad you like it," he said and continued to smile.

Milly's smile faded slightly as she looked over at the clock. "I'm sorry, but I've really got to get going, Hiroki. I shouldn't stay out too late. I promised Tamiya that I'd hang out with her tomorrow, and she wants to get up early, so I really need to get some sleep."

"Oh, sure. I know how it is. Yeah, Johnny probably is looking for me anyway," Hiroki mumbled awkwardly. He looked down at his cup and away from Milly.

"Hey, I really am sorry. You know I'll just hang out with you tomorrow instead. Tamiya will be fine."

"No, no. I'm fine. Really, Milly, I am. You promised Tamiya, so you need to keep your promise. I'll see you whenever."

"You know, I'll ask Tamiya tonight and I'll give you a call if she's ok with all of us hanging out," she said and smiled at him as she got up.

Hiroki got up with her. They both smiled at each other awkwardly as they stood there staring at each other. "Um, well, I'll see you later then," she said.

"Yeah, I guess so."

"Bye."

"Bye." Hiroki leaned in and gave her a hug. She returned the hug and didn't want to let go. He never pulled out and neither did she. Milly leaned her head so that she could whisper in his ear.

"Do you want to walk me back to my room?" Hiroki smiled and pulled out of the hug and nodded. Milly smiled and gave a small laugh. Hiroki slid his hand into hers and started to walk out of the café to head to the resort and Milly's room.

------m------

"Can I get you any dessert, love?" the waitress asked Sissi and Kiptyn as she took their dinner plates.

Kiptyn looked at Sissi with an inquisitive look. "Cheesecake? Crème Brûlée? Chocolate Éclair? Napoleon? Apple Tart Tatin? Lemon Meringue Pie? Flan? Ice cream? Chocolate cake? Brownie? Apple pie?" the waitress continued, listing the desserts they offered.

"Did you want anything, Sissi?"

"I can't eat that much by myself," she said. "It sounds good though. I don't need it. You can have some though."

"Did you want to share something?"

"Only if you want to."

He chuckled. "What do you like?"

"What do you like?" she asked, nervous that he wouldn't like what she liked.

"Do you like Lemon Meringue Pie, or Chocolate cake? If not, we could always get ice cream."

Sissi smiled. "We can get Lemon Meringue Pie. I love it."

"Ok. We'll take one," Kiptyn said to the waitress. She nodded and hurried off with their dirty plates and their order.

"I'll pay," Sissi stated.

"Now what kind of gentleman would I be, if I made the lady pay?" he asked and smiled.

"Now what kind of lady would I be, if I made the man pay for something that I could get for free?" she said and smiled.

"What? How can you get this for free?"

"Remember how I said that I was younger than you?"

"You came with that Kadic group, didn't you?"

"Well, yeah. Sorry, but at least it's free food. I can only get it certain places and this just happens to be one of them."

"Fine, you can pay."

As their conversation ended, the waitress came with their pie and two forks. She sat it down on the table and quickly left to let them eat it in peace as she attended to the other few customers in the restaurant.

------m------

"It's your turn," Herve stated.

"Ok, do you have any threes?"

"Ha! Go Fish!"

"Darn." He drew a card off the table in the center of their chairs. They were in the lobby, and they had just finished their dinners.

"Do you have any sevens?"

"How do you do that?" Nicholas asked as he handed over his seven. He had just forgotten that he had asked Herve for one the last round.

"I'm just that good at this game. Do you have any aces?"

"Here," Nicholas said as he handed over yet another one of his cards.

"Where's Sissi?"

"Oh, I forgot to tell you! She's with that lifeguard from the big pool."

"Which one?" Herve asked suspiciously.

"You know: the one with the hot tub and the waterslides."

"Not the pool, you idiot! The lifeguard! Which lifeguard?! Which lifeguard is she with?"

"Oh, he's the one that works near the actual pool area. He's the one with the dirty blonde hair, and the whistle."

"Oh, that really narrows it down!"

"He was tall," Nicholas said and smiled.

"How tall? That could be anyone! What else did he look like?"

"He wasn't too tall. His hair was shaggy. He had red swim trunks with black pockets instead of white! Does that help, Herve?"

"Oh, was he the one that had to save that old lady when her back gave out?"

"I think that was him."

"Ugh! What's he have that I don't?" he said and growled.

"Muscles, nice hair, smooth skin?"

Herve glared at him. "Err. Shut it, Nicholas!"

"It's your turn, Herve."

Herve just glared at him. "Whatever, I'll deal with him later. Do you have any jacks?"

------m------

Aelita pulled out of another kiss and smiled, staring into Odd's eyes. She bit her lip slightly, and Odd's body quivered. "What's wrong, Odd? Too much?" she asked, half-teasing, half-actually worried. Odd just stared at her with his mouth slightly open. Aelita gave him another peck. "Odd. Hello? Anyone home?" She laughed slightly.

Odd shook his head quickly and blinked a few times. "Yeah, I'm-I'm fine, Aelita," he said, still staring at her with eyes wide. "Wow."

Aelita giggled. "Do I need to get down, Odd? Is this too much for you?"

"Wow."

Aelita giggled again. "Odd. Hello? I asked a question."

He shook his head again and blinked. "Oh, yeah. Right. Um…wow." The corner of his mouth raised into a half smile. "Did I tell you that you look amazing in that dress?"

Aelita blushed slightly and giggled. She let go of his neck and unhitched his arms from around her waist. Then, she climbed down. "I think you were staring, Odd." She splashed some water into his face. He shook his head and wiped his eyes.

"I'm sorry, Aelita. You just look…wow, and you're just……wow."

"I guess I better not do that again," she said and laughed. "You can't handle it." She quickly lied on her back and started backstroking toward the deep end of the pool.

Odd watched her swim away as he smiled. Aelita reached the edge of the pool and rested her arms against the side and faced back at him. She giggled at his dazed expression. "Quit staring!" she shouted as she laughed. Odd shook his head and blushed slightly. Aelita pushed her feet off the side and swam back toward him stopping right in front of him.

"Well, this was fun."

Odd nodded and Aelita laughed again.

"Probably for a different reason than you, but still." She reached out and wrapped her arms around his neck again. He immediately wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her up around his waist.

"Hey! Put me down!" she demanded as she giggled again. Odd was smiling and holding her pretty tight. "I said I wouldn't do this anymore." She continued to laugh. Odd knew what he was doing though. He kissed her quickly.

"Ok, ok. Fine," she muttered and gave in. She kissed him once more. "Now, you've had your fun. Put me down." She laughed again as Odd shook his head.

"One more thing."

"What? What could it possibly be?" Aelita asked giving him a half-smile.

"Do you trust me?" he asked.

Aelita turned skeptical. "Why? What are you planning on doing?"

"Just answer the question!" he retorted quickly. "Do you trust me?"

"Yes…. Why?"

His face lit up and he smiled. "I've always wanted to do this, and I'm not sure if it will work, but just trust me and we can try."

"Odd!" Aelita's face turned into horror. "What are we going to do!?"

"Don't worry," he soothed. "Nothing bad." She relaxed a bit. "Just trust me, Aelita. Now, when I count to three, hold your breath!"

"What!?! Odd!"

"One!"

"I can't do this!"

"Two!"

"Odd!!!"

"Three!"

They both took a gasp of breath and Odd pulled them both underwater. The Odd let go of Aelita's waist momentarily and grasped the sides of her face and pulled her closer to him. Then he placed his lips on top of hers and kissed her. Then he took the big risk and opened her mouth and tried to kiss her that way. That's when he felt the water rush into their mouths and Aelita trying to kick her way off of him. He let her go and she pulled away and swam to the surface. He did the same and when he reached the top she was already there coughing up water.

"Odd…Della Robbia! Don't you…ever…do that again!" Aelita demanded in between coughs. "I could have drowned!"

"I told you I didn't know if we could do it. You want to try again?"

Aelita glared at him. "No, I do not want to do it again!"

"Oh, come on, was it really that bad?"

"I almost drowned, Odd!"

Odd rolled his eyes. "Oh come on! You wouldn't have drowned! Let's try again. Please!" he begged.

"I'm not stupid! No."

"Please, Aelita. Just once more. I'm sure I can do it right this time." He looked at her pleadingly.

"Oh, I can't believe I'm saying this. What the heck. Once more," she sighed. "But, only once, you hear me! I'm not trying until we succeed."

"Fine. I'll take it. On three!

"One!

"Two!

"Three!" he shouted. Then they both gasped and went underwater. Aelita pulled herself closer to Odd and wrapped her arms around his neck as he grasped the sides of her head again. He then pressed his lips firmly on top of hers. Then he tried, for the second time, to open her mouth. Since she knew what he was doing, she helped and slid her lip below his top and below his bottom. He then slowly opened her mouth and this time no water entered. Aelita was shocked to be able to feel the hot air coming from his mouth and not the water. She then moved her lips in rhythm with his until water was not the reason she had to break free from him. She didn't have enough air. She started kicking at him and he let her go and the both pushed off to the surface. Aelita gasped as she broke the surface, breathing heavily.

"I told you I could do it right this time!" Odd said after taking a few breaths of his own.

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever."

"Well, did you like it?"

"I guess, but I still prefer kissing where I have air!"

Odd laughed and Aelita splashed him in the face, before, she, in turn, laughed as well. He then wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her back up around his waist for a third time.

"No more wacky ideas."

"Ok, I promise."

"Good," she said and smiled. She gave him one last kiss. "Now what?"

"I don't know. This was your idea to come here in the first place. Remember? You were the one with the first wacky idea!"

"This wasn't wacky. This was a good idea. Don't you think so, Odd?"

"Yeah."

"Well, then. I guess we can go back to our rooms. I mean, we've been at the pool long enough, don't you think?" she asked.

"Yeah, I guess so, but I'm still not sure if we can go back to our rooms. You know Yumi and Ulrich don't want us in there in case they want to use them."

Aelita looked around the room and quickly found the clock. "Odd, it's 11:23. If they're going to be in the rooms, they'll be in there by now. We'll just look for the one without the do not disturb sign. Plus, I'm getting kinda tired now that I think about it."

"Ok, we'll go to the rooms," he stated and helped Aelita back down. They both walked back into the shallow end and out the stairs. Then, they grabbed a few towels for each of them because no one else was going to use them. They both dried off a bit. Aelita ringed out her dress and Odd ringed out his pants. Then, they both put the towels away and grabbed the rest of their clothes.

As they exited the swimming pool they headed toward the elevators, getting strange looks from the few guests still awake along the way. They reached the 5th floor in no time and headed toward their rooms. They eventually got there and noticed the do not disturb sign on Yumi, Sissi, and Aelita's door. Aelita and Odd shrugged at each other and Odd pulled out his key and unlocked his door.

"Entrez vous, princess," he said as he let her enter first. Aelita thanked him and quickly went inside. Odd locked the door behind him. He turned around and saw Aelita standing in the middle of his room shivering.

"Where are Jeremie and William?" she asked.

"I don't know. William could be anywhere. Did they leave a note?" They spent a few minutes looking around before Odd found it. It stated that Jeremie was spending the night in another room and that he was with William. They would be at Chez Café for breakfast at 10 if anyone wanted to come.

"Ok, well now what? Why aren't you sitting down, Aelita?"

"Odd, I'm soaking wet, and freezing! I don't think you want your bed wet."

"Oh, right. Well, um, you don't have any clothes here. You want some of mine?" Odd asked, blushing. "I mean there's clean and everything. I promise."

"Well, I'm not staying in this wet dress all night."

"Ok, then. I don't have any pink."

Aelita laughed slightly. "It's fine Odd. Take some clothes you want to wear and go take a shower. When you're done, you can help me. I'll just stand out here."

"You sure you don't want to take a shower first?"

"I'm fine, just hurry."

Odd nodded and took some clothes and headed to the bathroom. He quickly took his shower and dried off before getting dressed in his pajamas. He then came back out to help Aelita. "Now, what did you want to wear?"

"Anything warm."

"Ok, I've got some sweatshirts you could wear. I don't think you'll fit into my pants though, and they aren't very comfortable."

"What do you have for pants?"

"I've got jeans, long pants, and swim trunks, and I brought some shorts. The jeans wouldn't be very comfortable, and you won't be able to fit in the pants, so do you want my swim trunks or shorts? Trust me they're clean."

"Shorts are fine I guess. Do you have a hairdryer?"

"Yeah, it's in the bathroom." He picked out the clothes that she had asked for and handed them to her. She thanked him before going into the bathroom to take her shower. She returned quickly, dressed in his red shorts, which were sagging a bit and his purple sweatshirt, whose sleeves were too long for her and whose neck was slightly too large and drooped over one of her shoulders. She quickly pulled it back up on top of her shoulder and closed the bathroom door behind her. She had dried her hair a bit so it wasn't as wet and her underwear as well since she hadn't wanted to wear Odd's. She just left her bra off though because no one could tell anyway because of the sweatshirt.

"Well, thanks, Odd," she stated, "for the clothes I mean. Even though, they are a bit big."

"I told you I've grown! I'm not scrawny you know!" he said and they both laughed.

"You're still scrawny for a guy! Girls are just more petite," Aelita said with a smile and pushed him. Odd fell down onto his bed and laughed. Aelita laughed as well.

"Hey, I'm not scrawny, I'm svelte!" Odd shouted and sat up.

"Yeah, yeah. That's what you always say," Aelita said and laughed again, pushing him back down onto his bed.

"It's because it's true," Odd stated firmly and stood up. "Now, come here!"

"No way! You'll never catch me!" Aelita shouted and laughed running around the room and away from him. Odd chased her until her got her cornered by the window and she giggled in fright. He then wrapped his arms around her waist and carried her to his bed. She was laughing and pounding on his chest the whole way. He sat her down on her knees and he, in turn, climbed on to the bed on his knees. She laughed and so did he. He then quickly wrapped his arms around her waist again and pulled her close.

"I think I caught you," he stated and she laughed. She put her arms around his neck.

"Doesn't this hurt your knee?" she asked.

"Nope, the bed's soft. That water hurt more than anything."

Aelita smiled. "But, you liked it."

"Yeah," he said and smiled. "I never said I didn't. That would be lying, and lying is bad."

Aelita laughed again. "Oh, right. It's not like we ever lie."

Odd laughed too, and pulled her tighter. "You're going to get hot in that sweatshirt."

"No, I'll be fine."

Odd smiled and chuckled. "That wasn't a question, Aelita."

Aelita caught his drift and pulled herself closer to him and pressed her lips violently against his, then, pushed herself up to get leverage, but accidentally pushed too hard and felt Odd start to fall backwards. She went to stop them, but was too late and they both tumbled off the bed and landed with a thud in a heap on the floor.

"Sorry," Aelita murmured as she tried to get up and off of Odd. "That probably hurt you."

"Yeah, kinda," Odd said and tried to get up, while wincing. Aelita ended up getting up first and offered her hand down to Odd to help him up. Odd took it and pulled himself up with a bit of her help and quickly took her by surprise and kissed her again.

He then glanced over to the clock. It read: 2:08 a.m. "Aelita, do you realize how late it is! We could have woken everyone up!"

"Oh, who cares!? Let's go to bed then, if you want."

"Ok, now, no more fun and games," he said and they both laughed, because they both knew that wouldn't happen.

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	31. Drift Off to Sleep

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**No Matter What They Say**

**Chapter 31: Drift Off to Sleep**

Yumi and Ulrich were lying on her bed and talking. They finished making out a while ago and were just talking about random topics and what they wanted to do the rest of the week. "We need to go skiing," Yumi stated as she yawned.

"Do we have to?" Ulrich asked.

"Yes. The chairlift isn't that bad, Ulrich, and I'll be with you the whole time, so there's nothing to worry about."

"Fine," Ulrich said dully, yawning.

"Oh, come on, Ulrich. I know you didn't like it, but you're older now. I'll help you."

"I guess it won't be so bad," he said and gave a half smile.

"It'll be loads of fun. We can go with Odd and Aelita."

"Sure and we can even invite Jared and Hiroki if you want."

"That sounds great, Ulrich. It really does," she said and smiled. "I can't wait. I love skiing."

"Yeah. Because you're good at it."

"I guess. You'll get good at it too," she said and yawned. "I'm getting kinda tired."

Yumi got up and started rummaging through her clothes. She picked out her pajamas. Then she mentioned that she would be back and headed to the bathroom to change. She returned quickly. Her face tensed as she realized Ulrich wouldn't have pajamas.

"Um, what are you going to sleep in?" she asked awkwardly.

"I don't have much of a choice now, do I?"

"True, but really, what had you planned to wear?"

Ulrich shrugged and looked up and down himself. "I guess I'll just take off my belt and my shirt and sleep in my pants. I can live without pajamas," he said and gave a half-smile.

"Alright." Yumi nodded and went back into the bathroom and brushed her hair. When she returned Ulrich was folding his clothes and placing them onto the chair next to her bed. He rolled down the sheets, but then thought twice and started to remake the bed.

"What are you doing?" Yumi asked, confused.

"Well, I thought it'd be awkward to well, you know. So, I though maybe sleeping on top of the sheets wouldn't be as awkward," he said and blushed.

"Ok, I get your point, but I am in a tank top, and it's cold so I might freeze."

"Unless, I don't let you freeze," Ulrich said and smiled. Yumi blushed, smiled, and then looked away. Ulrich quickly climbed back on top of the bed and waited for Yumi to accompany him. She sat on the edge of the bed and turned out the light before turning to lie down. Ulrich quickly scooted over and wrapped his arms around her waist, pressing her back to his chest. His arms were warm and kept Yumi warm as she sighed and relaxed herself into his arms. She nestled her head into the crevice between his chin and his chest.

"You're so warm," Yumi stated as she snuggled up close to him and breathed deeply.

Ulrich laughed and smiled. "Um, thanks, I guess." He held her closer and pulled her in tighter.

Yumi laughed along with him. "It was a compliment. You should be glad you're not cold."

"Oh, are you still cold?" he asked sweetly and pulled her even tighter and closer to him. Smiling, he kissed her forehead. "Is that better?" he whispered.

"Mmhmm." Yumi yawned and shut her eyes. "I love you," she whispered quietly before yawning again and heading to sleep.

Ulrich smiled and kissed the top of her head. "I love you too, Yumi," he whispered back to her. He checked the clock one last time before he himself took a turn at yawning and closed his own eyes to fall asleep. It was 12:54. He turned his head away from the clock and pulled Yumi back, closer into his arms. She gave another smile and took a deep breath. She snuggled up good and tight. He kissed her once more, and they both smiled as they drifted off to sleep.

------m------

"Can I walk you back to your room?" Kiptyn asked sweetly as he got up from his chair. He shook his shaggy blonde hair out of his face and brushed it aside with his hand. He then offered out his hand to Sissi. She quickly took it and stood up.

"Yeah, thanks," she said smiling. She started to blush and nervously reached up and brushed her hair behind her ear. He smiled back at her and let go of her hand.

"Alright, lead the way," he said and made a gesture for her to go first. She quickly started walking toward the exit of the restaurant. They quickly walked together towards the elevators. Sissi was leading the way, but Kiptyn was walking right along beside her like he knew where he was going. They reached the elevators and called one. It arrived, and the doors opened. They stepped inside, and Sissi pressed the button for the 5th floor.

"I had a nice time tonight, and I hope you're not mad. I really wasn't trying to trick you," she said embarrassed.

"It's fine. I had a nice time too. I'm not mad at all. In fact, meet me tomorrow at the pool after you've had lunch and we can hang out. Bring your swimsuit, and I'll let you swim during break," he said and smirked at her.

"You just want to see me in my swimsuit again!"

"That's not it at all!"

"Oh, you and I both know it is!" Sissi said and playfully hit him on the arm. They both started laughing. The bell rang, and the doors of the elevator opened at the 5th floor. They both walked out and headed toward Sissi's room. They walked down the hallway and stopped in front of the door, noticing a Do Not Disturb sign. Sissi's eyes went wide and she turned bright red as she realized she wouldn't be able to get into her room. _What am I going to do!?!?! I can't just ask Kiptyn if I can stay with him. Wait, where is Aelita staying? Maybe, I can stay with her. Wait, that wouldn't work. No one could pay me to stay with Herve and Nicholas, and I am not going to stay with Daddy. Ohh…. _

"Um, Sissi, are you sure this is the right room? Is everything alright?" Kiptyn questioned, noticing her red face and panicked look.

"Yeah, this is the right room. It's just, there's a Do Not Disturb sign and I don't think I should go in. Plus, whenever they put out the sign they lock the door. So, I'm technically locked out of my room."

"Well, is there anyone else you can crash with?"

"Well, not that I know of," Sissi stated awkwardly. "I'm sorry. I'll just spend the night in the lobby or something."

"Hey, that's no way to sleep. It's not your fault you were locked out," Kiptyn said sympathetically. "You can crash in my room. It's fine. We've got a pullout that no one uses. You can sleep there."

"We?"

"Yeah, my roommates and me. We all share a room, but that won't be a problem if you're just gonna be on the pullout. They won't mind."

"You're sure?"

"Yeah, I'm positive."

"Well, ok, if you're sure they won't mind. I guess it's better than the couches in the lobby," Sissi said smiling awkwardly.

They walked back toward the elevators, and from there went down to the 3rd floor. Arriving quickly, they stepped out and headed toward Kiptyn's room. They stopped in front of 324, and Kiptyn pulled out his key. He knocked on the door twice before opening it a crack. "Hey, you guys decent?"

"When have you ever been one to care?" a voice unseen replied.

"No really. I got a visitor, guys. Can we come in or do we need to wait?"

"What kind of visitor, Kip?" another voice shouted and footsteps were heard running to the door. A thin, but muscled brunette came to the door in just his khakis. His hair was a short Mohawk and he had a lip piercing on the left of his lip and a piercing on his right eyebrow. "Well, hello there. Is this your girlfriend, Kip? She's pretty smokin," the brunette said and raised his eyebrows at Sissi and smiled.

"Since when does Kip have a smokin girlfriend?" another voice shouted as footsteps were heard walking to the door. Another guy, dressed only in jeans, arrived at the door. He was slightly shorter than the other. His hair was a shaggy, black mess that reached down a little further than his eyebrows, barely covering his chocolate brown eyes. He leaned against the door frame. "So, who's this?" he asked as he looked Sissi up and down.

Sissi turned and whispered, "Maybe, this wasn't such a good idea. I'll be fine in the lobby."

"Nonsense!" Kiptyn said to her and turned her back around. "This is Sissi. She's just a good friend." Sissi's face turned red and her hands started to sweat. "Sissi, this is Oliver," he said and the black haired guy raised his eyebrows and gave a half-smile, "and this is Ayden." The Brunette with the Mohawk gave a cocky smile and continued to look her up and down with his dull green eyes.

"Well, if you two are just friends, can I have a go?" Ayden asked and raised his eyebrows. Sissi's eyes widened in shock. She turned and looked up at Kiptyn. He started laughing.

"Very funny, Ayden. Not a chance."

He sighed and laughed as well. "Ok, ok. I get the picture." Sissi continued to stand there nervously. "Well, why'd you bring her here then?"

"Well, I was hoping she could crash with us tonight. She's locked out of her room, and I didn't think you would mind."

"Kip, you know how tempting that would be for me- her being so hot and all. I don't know…," Ayden said contemplating.

"Oh, come on. It's only for one night. Don't you have enough girls to knock up without her?"

"Yeah, yeah, but still," Ayden said and smirked. "Fine. Where's she sleepin?"

"The pullout," Kiptyn said as he pushed his way into the room and Oliver shut the door behind them.

Ayden looked exasperated. "Well, that's no fun! If you're not into her, what's the problem?"

"Shut up, Ayden," Kiptyn shouted and started moving the clothes and junk strewed on the couch onto the floor. Then he turned to Sissi with a smile. "He doesn't really mean all that. Well, actually he probably does, but that doesn't mean you need to be worried. He won't even touch you if you don't want him to." Sissi nodded. _What have I gotten myself into!?!?!?_ "Ayden's into a bunch of girls at the moment- any girls actually, but especially hot girls- and therefore comes off as obnoxious and rude, but once you get to know him he's not so bad. Oliver on the other hand is more selective and likes to take his time choosing, and comes off more relaxed and nice. You'll like him."

Sissi turned and looked around the room. Ayden was flipping through channels while laying on his bed, and Oliver was staring at the screen while laying on his own.

Ayden quickly finished clearing off the couch and pulled out the bed. The sheets were already on it. He went to the closet and brought back a pillow and threw it on the bed. "There you go. Um, I hope it's comfortable enough for you."

"If not, you could always sleep with me, sweetheart!" Ayden shouted and raised his eyebrows to her with a smile.

"Well, I guess you'll have to sleep in your clothes, unless you want to borrow some of my shorts and a t-shirt," Kiptyn offered. "They may not fit very well, though, seeing as I'm a good 4 inches taller than you."

"She could borrow some of mine, Kip. I don't mind," Oliver suggested. "I'm more her height. I mean, if you want um."

"That'd be great, thanks," she replied. He went over to his dresser and pulled out a black t-shirt and a pair of red basketball shorts. He tossed them over to Sissi. She caught them and thanked him.

"Go see if those fit. If not, I'll see if I can find some others," he said and smiled. She headed into the restroom and quickly changed out of her jeans and sweater, took off her shoes, and changed into the t-shirt and shorts.

"Great, I'm a mix between Yumi and a jock. That's great!" she mumbled quietly to herself. The shirt fit well enough and the shorts at least stayed up. She took out her headband and ran her hands through her hair a few times before returning.

"Hey, that fits pretty good," Kiptyn said looking at her attire.

"I told you I looked her height," Oliver said and headed into the restroom himself, carrying his own pajama bottoms.

Sissi yawned and placed her clothes on a side table next to her bed. "I'm gonna go to bed," she announced and got under the covers and quickly drifted asleep even with the lights on.

"Ayden, what's up with you? Don't joke around like that."

"Hey, it's all fun and games. I'm sure someone that hot's heard it before. Come on. Lighten up," he said and continued to flip through the channels. Oliver walked out of the bathroom, changed and headed toward his own bed, yawning.

"Well, frankly, I doubt that."

"Oh, come on. Any 16 year old girl, regardless if she's smokin or not, has heard that kind of junk. It's no big deal," he continued. "What is she 12?" he continued with a laugh.

"Actually, she's 14, if you wanted to know, and I don't like it anymore than you do," Kiptyn continued to argue.

Ayden's eyes went wide. "Really? 14. Dang…. That sucks."

"Yeah, I know right. If she were older, she'd already be my girlfriend. I was gonna ask her tonight, until she told me that. I mean, 15 maybe, but 14… I'm not so sure."

Ayden eyes were still wide and he shook his head. "And I wanted to do that with a 14 year old. Uhh…. I think I'm gonna be sick. Is she still a kid?"

"Well, she definitely doesn't act like one, and she could definitely pass off as 16, so I don't feel too bad."

"Will you guys shut up?! I'm trying to get to sleep before we have to get up to work!" Oliver shouted and threw a pillow at them.

"Fine, fine. We'll talk in the morning. The only reason you're not freaking is cuz you're only 15 and it doesn't matter to you," Ayden taunted and threw the pillow back at him.

"Whatever," he stated and turned out his lamp.

------m------

Hiroki and Milly both arrived at her room sooner than they had planned. They sighed and looked from each other to her door back to each other. Hiroki squeezed her hand and gave her a half-smile. She returned it with a squeeze and a half-smile of her own. They each stood there awkwardly for a while before Milly sighed. "Well, I guess I better go," she murmured. "I'll talk to you tomorrow, Hiroki. Thanks for the great day." She finished and continued to stand there awkwardly waiting for Hiroki to say something or at least let go of her hand. She smiled at him and he sighed.

"Alright. Goodnight, I guess. I'll talk to you tomorrow," he mumbled and relinquished her hand. He turned to head off toward the elevator and then to his room. Milly quickly stopped him by placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Goodnight, Hiroki," she whispered and turned him back around and wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug. He received and returned the favor by wrapping his own arms back around her. They lingered for no more than a minute before pulling out of the hug. "I'll see you around."

"Yeah, I'll see you around." He then smiled and turned around as Milly opened her door and stepped inside to be greeted by the squeals of the other 6th grade girls who were her roommates. He walked slowly down the hallway and into the elevator, pressed the button for the 4th floor, and waited. It arrived quickly at its destination for it was only two floors down. He exited and headed down the hall, arriving soon at his own room marked 422. Inserting his key and removing it, he unlocked the door and opened it to be received by Johnny. Kevin, their other roommate had already turned in for the night and was asleep in his own bed.

"Hiroki! There you are! I was worried sick about you. Where've you been?" he questioned.

Hiroki just smiled. "With Milly."

Johnny's eyes went wide and his mouth went agape slightly. "Really? What happened?!"

"Well, I don't want to brag, but… we're going out now!"

"What!? Really? So, you're actually going out with Milly? Like Milly, the 6th grader, Milly?" Johnny continued, still shocked.

"What _other_ Milly do you know? Of course it's the same Milly!" Hiroki shouted and hit him on the arm.

"Well, actually I do have an Aunt named Milly now that you mention it," Johnny said, only to be hit on the arm by Hiroki again. "Ok, so what happened?"

"Nothing really. We went out for hot chocolate. We held hands. I walked her to her room. We said goodnight and hugged each other goodbye. Just normal stuff, you know?" he continued.

"Still, it's pretty impressive to have a girlfriend, let alone an older girlfriend. You're really lucky, Hiroki," Johnny said and sighed, staring off into space in a dream like state only to be woken again by Hiroki's voice.

"Sorry, but you've still got no chance with my sister."

Johnny rolled his eyes and sighed. "I know, but can't I still try?"

Hiroki shook his head. "I'm telling you, Johnny. You can try as hard as you want, but you'll never get to Yumi while Ulrich's around. He's just too perfect. Yumi will be with him forever. Sorry, but it's just the way it is, and no matter what you do, it will never change. Plus, you're too young for her."

Johnny sighed in defeat. "Yeah, that's what I figured. I guess I always knew that four years was too big of a difference. I just never wanted to admit it."

"It's ok. We'll get you a girlfriend eventually. Maybe, you can find someone when we go skiing or something," Hiroki said enthusiastically. He gave Johnny an encouraging pat on the shoulder and left him to get changed into his pajamas. Johnny sat on the edge of his bed and just thought for a little while, sadness growing on his face. The image of Yumi danced in his thoughts. He let his imagination run wild with thoughts of Yumi and him together: sitting and talking, eating out at restaurants, going over homework, holding hands, walking through the park, and so on. He leaned back on his bed and closed his eyes, trying to picture the perfect moment between himself and his beloved with whom he would never be. He forgot all about Ulrich for a few minutes and just let himself believe what he wished.

------m------

"Odd," Aelita murmured and yawned. "We should eat with Jeremie and William."

"What!? Why?" he asked.

"I don't know."

"I'd rather eat with Sissi. Jeremie has been a jerk lately. Why would you even consider eating with him?"

"I don't know. I guess I just don't want to eat alone," she murmured again and rolled onto her side and flipped off the lamp on her side of Odd's bed.

"Um, I'm right here. I can hear every word you say. You're not alone! Hello?"

"I meant I don't want to just have breakfast with you. I want to eat with a group of people, and Jeremie and William invited us, so they were the first people I could think of," she mumbled and rolled over to face Odd. Her eyelids drooped halfway over her eyes.

"We can eat with Yumi and Ulrich. They'll be finished with being alone by tomorrow. We can all eat together. We can even invite Jared and Sissi is you want it to be a bigger group of people. We don't have to invite Jeremie or eat with him," Odd said and yawned.

"Yeah, I guess so," she mumbled and closed her eyes. "I'm tired."

"Well, we can sleep then." Odd turned over and turned off the lamp on his side of the bed. Then, he rolled back over and faced Aelita. Aelita scooted herself over to him and curled up against his chest. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her in close. With his left hand, he ran his fingers down her head through her hair. He kissed her on top of her head one last time before closing his eyes. "Goodnight, princess," he whispered to her. She didn't reply, but he could hear her deep breaths and could tell that she was asleep. He smiled, and it wasn't long before he drifted off to sleep next to his princess.

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	32. Is This What You Had In Mind?

**Here's the last chapter for this year!  
So, Happy Christmas, and Happy New Year all rolled into one!  
Have a good holiday!  
I'll update as soon as I can, but that may not be very soon.**

**No Matter What They Say**

**Chapter 32: Is This What You Had In Mind?**

Ayden's alarm went off first and all three of the guys groaned. Ayden slowly turned over and punched the top of his clock to shut of the alarm. Kiptyn cracked his eyes open and looked over at the clock by his bed and read the time: 5:50a.m. He groaned, but sat up, draped his legs over the edge of the bed, and turned on his lamp. He stretched his arms out and ran his hands through his hair as he yawned. He looked over to Oliver and hit him on the arm. "Get up. We can't be late," he said and Oliver groaned, but pulled the sheets off of him and sat up.

Oliver looked over to Ayden whose head was firmly planted under his pillow. "I'm getting the first shower," he said and headed to the bathroom.

"Grab some clothes first," Kiptyn stated. Oliver turned around and gave him a confused stare. "Remember?" he asked and gestured toward Sissi on the couch, still asleep.

"Oh, right," he said and picked up his swim trunks and a black t-shirt. Then, he headed into the bathroom to take his shower.

Kiptyn walked around his bed and over to Ayden's. He turned on the lamp next to his bed, but Ayden just pulled the sheets over his head and groaned. Kiptyn pulled back the sheets and took the pillow off Ayden's head. "Get up. We'll leave you behind if you make us late again." Ayden groaned, but didn't move. "Oliver's already had the first shower and I'm gonna take the second if you don't get up. Then, you'll be left with cold water."

"Fine, fine. I'll get up," Ayden croaked and flipped himself over. He looked over to where Kiptyn was getting out his clothes. "When are you gonna wake up your lady friend? She better not make us late, and she sure as hell ain't staying in our room while we're gone."

"Fine. Whatever. I'll wake her up," Kiptyn stated and trudged over to Sissi's pullout. He leaned over her and placed his hand gently on her shoulder. Sissi mumbled something in her sleep and turned over placing her hand through her hair as she did so. "Sissi, wake up. I've got to get to work and you can't stay here." He rubbed her shoulder and she cracked her eyes open. "Morning. We're getting ready for work."

"What time is it?" she murmured and stretched out her arms.

"Um, around 6 o' clock. I gotta get a shower, but take your time in getting up. I'll be back soon."

Sissi sat up and ran her hands through her hair. She looked around the room and saw Ayden stretching in his bed, Oliver just coming out of the bathroom dressed in his swim trunks and a t-shirt, and Kiptyn walking into the restroom to take his own shower. The water turned on and Ayden shouted, "Hey, I thought I was supposed to get the second shower." Sissi yawned and turned to face Oliver who was sitting on his bed combing his hair.

"Thanks for the clothes," she said. Oliver smiled at her. "I don't know what I should do this morning. My roommates probably aren't up yet, so I don't know what to do this early."

"You could come to the pool with us. I mean, if Kiptyn doesn't mind," Oliver stated and continued combing his hair.

"Well, I didn't really bring my swimsuit," she said awkwardly.

"Talk to Ayden, not to me. I don't carry girls' swimsuits around," he said and both he and Ayden laughed.

"What makes you think I'd have one?"

"You're most likely to have one out of all of us," Oliver said. "You've been with more girls this month than Kiptyn and me put together."

Ayden laughed. "True. I'll check." He got down from his bed and searched through his drawers. "Um, I actually do have some girl stuff in here, but, um, I haven't found any swimsuits yet. I'll keep looking."

Sissi and Oliver chuckled. "What girl stuff do you have?" Oliver asked.

"I ain't telling you with her around. She'd think I'm a perv or something," Ayden said and kept digging through his clothes. Sissi and Oliver both laughed again.

Oliver put down his comb and grabbed his whistle off of the nightstand beside him and put it on. "Where do ya wanna eat, Ayden? It's your choice, remember?"

"I haven't though about it. I'm too busy looking for swimsuits. Someplace with pancakes and bacon."

"Wow. That narrows it down," Oliver said sarcastically.

"Ayden, you don't have to find me a swimsuit. I'll just walk around the building or something until my roommates wake up. I'll be fine," Sissi stated and pulled the covers down off of herself. Then, she stood up, pushed the bed back into the couch, put the cushions on, and sat down.

"You should at least come to breakfast," Oliver said, "even if you don't come to the pool."

"I never knew I had so much girl junk in here. I'll be covered for like a month's worth of girls," Ayden said and smiled. Oliver and Sissi both looked over and his smile went away. "Don't ask." They both shrugged and turned away.

Kiptyn soon came out of the bathroom in his swim trunks and a white t-shirt. He grabbed his whistle and put it around his neck. "Your turn, Ayden."

"Hold on, I'm looking for a swimsuit."

"You've already got your swimsuit out on the bed."

"No," Ayden said and shook his head, "not for me. A swimsuit for your lady friend."

"And why would you have a girl's…. Never mind. Why does she need a swimsuit?"

"Oliver invited me to come with you guys to the pool as long as it was alright with you, and seeing as it's only 6:15 in the morning, my roommates won't be up to let me in to get my own swimsuit," Sissi said and Kiptyn nodded.

"I found a top!" Ayden shouted and held what surely was girl's black swimsuit top with cherries all over it.

"You are the only guy I know that could pull off keeping that," Kiptyn stated and Ayden smirked.

"Oh, and it's a large. She must have been smokin'," Ayden said and smirked again. "Can she fit in a large?"

"How would I know?" Kiptyn asked. "Can you?"

"Um, I can try, but there aren't any bottoms yet."

"Right. Well, I'll start looking while Ayden gets a shower," Kiptyn said. "Just hurry, so we'll have time to eat."

"Yeah, whatever." Ayden grabbed his clothes and headed into the bathroom. Kiptyn picked up where he had left off.

"Ugh. Who would have known he would have all this stuff in here? It's like he kept a collection."

"What is it?" Oliver asked.

"Not while she's here," was his only reply. Kiptyn continued to dig through Ayden's things until he got out of the shower. When Ayden did come out, Kiptyn handed Sissi the top and she went into the bathroom and tried it on.

"Well, it reminds me of a cuter version of Yumi, but it fits," Sissi mumbled and walked out in the top and Oliver's shorts.

All three of the guys looked at her and looked back at each other. "Well, it fits," Ayden said. "I told you she was smokin'."

"That gives me an idea," Kiptyn said. "Oliver, do you still have like 3 pairs of swim trunks?"

"Well, yeah. But, you aren't thinking of letting her wear them are you? That's just kinda weird, isn't it?"

"Girls wear guy clothes all the time," he stated. "It's only weird the other way around. Go get some that would match her top."

"Well, alright," Oliver said and went over to his dresser, grabbed his swim trunks, and brought them back. "They're as close as she'll get, which is strange because they match like perfectly." He handed them to Sissi and told her to go try them on.

She walked back into the bathroom and took off Oliver's shorts and replaced them with his swim trunks. They were black with red rims around the pockets and down the sides. "Well, now I'm exactly like Yumi. That's great. At least they fit. I don't know how much I like the fact that I'm wearing Oliver's stuff. I'd rather it was Kiptyn's." She sighed and pulled the drawstrings tight and tied them. They slipped just slightly lower than she wanted, but not too much that she wouldn't wear them. She walked out and all three of the guys stared at her.

"Ok, does it look weird?" she asked.

"No, you look great," Kiptyn answered. "Put that shirt back on over your swimsuit just for the restaurant, and we can start going. Where are we going anyway?"

"Ayden narrowed it down to someplace with bacon and pancakes," Oliver said and laughed.

"Great job, Ayden," Kiptyn said and laughed. "Anything specific?"

"Just go to Aunt Butterby's. That's as good a place as any for breakfast," he said and they all agreed and headed out toward the elevator.

------m------

Hiroki stared up at the ceiling in his room. Johnny was still asleep beside him. Hiroki glanced over at the clock. He sighed as it was only 6:07 a.m. _Why can't I get her out of my head anymore? I can't sleep, and I feel like I was punched in the stomach. _He grabbed his stomach and held it tightly with one arm and kept the other behind his head. Milly's picture was projected in his mind. She was smiling down at him. He smiled and continued to stare off at her image. His heart was racing as he thought of days and weeks to come. _How long will this last? I hope it's not over too soon. I know I'm young, but that doesn't mean anything. _He moved his arm out from under his head to wrap it around his stomach, accidentally bumping Johnny.

Johnny groaned and opened his eyes. "What is it?"

"Sorry, I didn't mean to hit you. You can go back to sleep. It's only 6 o' clock."

"Why are you up so early? Shouldn't you still be asleep, too?" Johnny asked and turned onto his side to face him.

"I can't sleep."

"Thinking about Milly?" he asked and Hiroki smiled.

"Yeah, how'd you know?"

"That's how it was with me the first few nights when I met your sister," Johnny stated. "Plus, you've got that look on your face again: the one that you always have when you think about Milly."

Hiroki chuckled and rolled his eyes. "I do not have 'a look' when I think about Milly."

Johnny laughed softly. "Yeah, you do. I'll tell you the next time I see it, just to prove that you do."

Hiroki smiled and rolled his eyes again. "Whatever. Go back to sleep, Johnny. I'll talk to you in the morning."

"It is morning, Hiroki, and we both know that you're not gonna get to sleep for a few days, so why bother?"

"Go to bed Johnny," he said.

"Fine. Goodnight, or erm, good morning."

They both laughed softly and turned away from each other. Johnny closed his eyes and tried to fall back asleep, and Hiroki started to stare at the ceiling again, thinking of Milly. _I guess I won't be getting sleep for a while, but it's worth it. _

------m------

Oliver, Ayden, Kiptyn, and Sissi entered Aunt Butterby's and took a seat at one of the tables. They received menus and quickly looked for something to eat.

"I think I'm gonna get waffles and lots of syrup," Ayden said as he looked over his menu.

"What the heck?! You wanted to go to a place with pancakes and bacon so that you could get waffles?" Oliver asked and looked confused.

"Oh, right. Maybe, I do want pancakes. But, I still want lots of syrup," Ayden answered.

Kiptyn rolled his eyes and stared down at his own menu. "What're you getting?"

"I'm not sure," Sissi answered feeling nervous to eat in front of three guys. "I'm still looking."

The waitress soon came up to their table and brought them all waters and silverware. "Aww, you guys are such a cute couple. How long have you guys been going out?" she asked looking at Oliver and Sissi. "I've got to say the matching swimsuits sure are cute."

Sissi and Oliver looked at each other and sure enough they both had on black t-shirts and red and black swim trunks. "We're not dating," Oliver stated boldly. Sissi blushed and turned away. Ayden tried hard not to laugh, but couldn't manage.

"Oh, sorry. Brother and sister?"

Oliver was about to say no, but Kiptyn cut in front of him and stated, "Yeah, they're both siblings." Oliver and Sissi both looked at him confused, but he just shook his head.

"Oh, well that's cute," the waitress continued. "Can I take you're order?" They all ordered their food quickly. Ayden ended up getting pancakes and bacon, Kiptyn got pancakes and sausage, Oliver got waffles, toast, and eggs, and Sissi ended up ordering small pancakes and eggs. Then, the waitress left to put their order in.

"What did you say we were siblings for?" Oliver asked Kiptyn as soon as she was out of hearing range.

"I didn't know what you were going to say and I sure didn't want you to tell her the truth," he said and Ayden laughed.

"What? That we aren't siblings?"

"No, idiot. That she had to borrow your swimsuit!" Ayden said and laughed. Kiptyn blushed and Oliver looked confused.

"You think I would have said that?" Oliver asked. Kiptyn looked away and ran his hand through his hair. Ayden laughed again, except louder. People in the restaurant started to look over.

"Will you shut up, Ayden?" Kiptyn stated and glared. "People are staring." Ayden muffled his laugh with his hand.

"I don't even get it," Oliver said and stared at Ayden and Kiptyn, looking confused. "What's so funny?"

"I'm gonna go to the restroom. When, I come back, maybe things will start getting normal again," Sissi said and got up and went to the restroom.

When she was out of sight, Ayden stopped laughing enough to talk. "How can you not get it? It's hilarious! Kip obviously likes her. He knows she's like 14, and he still likes her!"

"Shut up, would you?" Kiptyn muttered sternly.

"He does, doesn't he?" Oliver said as his eyes got wide. "You're embarrassed because you like her."

"No," Ayden said. "Worse. He likes her, and he's embarrassed that she's wearing your stuff and that guy both match. But, the real killer is that he just now noticed it." Ayden kept laughing and Kiptyn blushed.

"I'm sorry, Kip. I thought you wanted me to let her borrow my swim trunks. I didn't mean for it to make you upset," Oliver stated and apologized.

"I don't need your sympathy, Oliver. I'm fine," Kiptyn shouted at him and Ayden chuckled. "Oh, and you," he said turning toward Ayden, "can shut up. I'm not in the mood to hear to laugh. And, you know I could beat you up without trying, so don't test me, Ayden. I don't need that right now."

"Gosh, I didn't mean for you to get so angry. You know what I said was the truth. I didn't lie or anything. What's the big deal? So, you like the chick? Whoopee…. You've liked chicks before, and you'll like others later. What's one 14 year old in the grand scheme of things?" he asked and leaned back in his chair. Kiptyn just glared at him, but didn't say anything as he saw Sissi coming back toward the table.

"Did I miss much?" she asked.

"Not really," Kiptyn said awkwardly. "Plus, there's the waitress now with our food."

"Good," Oliver murmured. "I'm hungry."

The waitress placed the plates in front of them and they all started to dig in to their meals. They all finished relatively quickly, and one by one they received their bills. Each of them paid, and together they headed to the pool.

"So, how long are you on duty today?" Sissi asked as they headed over.

"8-12, and 2-5, but you don't have to stay the whole time," Kiptyn stated. "You can leave whenever you want."

Sissi nodded. "Oh, alright." _What's wrong with him? He's not acting the same anymore. _

"Well, babe," Ayden said and held the door open for her as she walked into the pool area, "we're going to the locker room. You can wait here for us. If anyone yells at you for being here before hours, blame Kiptyn and not me!" Ayden and Oliver laughed and went toward the locker room.

"I'll be right back. Feel free to pick out a lawn chair wherever you like," Kiptyn said and smiled.

"And, where will you be?"

"Oliver's over by the slide, Ayden's working the lazy river on the second floor, and I'm over by the regular pool. Choose wherever you want. I'll be right back. I've just got to sign in and stuff," Kiptyn said and smiled before walking away toward the locker room.

Sissi walked over to the pool that Kiptyn would be working at and picked a nice lawn chair in the front row and sat down. She leaned back and relaxed. No one came up to her as she waited for Kiptyn to come back out. _I wonder what Ayden was laughing about at breakfast? I must have made Kiptyn mad because he's upset now. Or, he sure looks upset. I wonder why? Oliver was pretty quiet too. Whatever. I'll find out if I need to know. _

"Sissi?" Kiptyn asked and brought her back to reality. "Are you ok?"

"Oh, yeah. I'm fine. Did you want something?" she asked and smiled. He looked back at her and shook his head. "Oh. Alright then."

"Did you want to hang out before I have to work?"

"Wasn't that the whole point?" she asked and laughed as he came and sat down on the lawn chair next to her.

"Yeah, I guess so. Wasn't it?" he smiled and laughed. She turned to face him and they both smiled and started to talk together.

------m------

Yumi rolled over and smiled in her sleep. Ulrich had just woken up and was brushing his hand across the side of Yumi's face, pushing her hair back. It was almost 8 o' clock and Ulrich normally slept much later, but Yumi had woken him up, and he had decided not to go back to sleep. Yumi slept peacefully and Ulrich's touch hadn't woken her up. She just smiled and continued to sleep next to him. Ulrich sighed and smiled to himself. _She looks so beautiful when she sleeps. _He continues to run his fingers over the side of her face and smiled. He stopped for a moment to brush back his own hair, and Yumi stirred.

She turned onto her side and opened her eyes. "Good morning," she said and yawned. "What time is it?"

"You can go back to sleep if you want. It's only 8," he said.

"Oh, 8 is nothing compared to when I wake up at my house. Well, you know. You were there for the sleepover," she said and sat up slowly and brushed her hair back from her face with her hands.

"So, do what do you want to do for breakfast?"

"Well, we can't do anything until we get you some clothes," Yumi said and continued to fix her hair.

"It doesn't matter to me. I can just wear what I wore last night. It's not overly dressy."

Yumi smiled and laughed. "Yeah, you could. Or, we could hang out here for a while until it's a more decent our, and then we can wake up Odd and Aelita which I'm pretty sure are sharing your room."

"That sounds nice," Ulrich said taking the hint from Yumi. "Wait…if Odd and Aelita are in my room, and we're in here, where is Sissi?"

"I don't know. She said she had a date last night. Maybe, she stayed out all night," Yumi suggested. "She said she didn't know when she'd be back."

"Oh. I guess that's ok."

"Ulrich, don't worry. It's just Sissi," Yumi said and smiled at him. "Now what do you want to do until we can go wake Odd and Aelita?"

"I don't know. We could watch TV or talk or something," he said and shrugged.

"Yeah, we could, but I don't think we will," Yumi said and smiled. Ulrich smiled back at her and got up on his knees and wrapped his arms around her. Yumi giggled and wrapped her arms around his neck as Ulrich pulled her over toward him.

"Is this more of what you had in mind?" he asked as he smiled.

Yumi laughed and smiled back at him. "Yeah. This is more of what I had in mind." Then, she leaned toward him and kissed him.

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	33. Just a Friend

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**No Matter What They Say**

**Chapter 33: Just a Friend**

Kiptyn offered Sissi his hand, awkwardly. She took it and smiled. "Thanks. Where to?"

"I don't care. Lifeguards get the pool to themselves until 8, so we've got about 30 minutes to do whatever," he said and gestured to the pool area. Sissi saw Oliver heading up the stairs to the upper deck where the lazy river and the tops of the slides were located. She couldn't seem to find Ayden, but assumed he was up there with Oliver. A few other lifeguards were here already. There was a thin blonde woman talking to a tall, muscular brunette who was behind the rental counter. They could have been in their early twenties. Two younger girls in their teens, one blonde and the other a redhead, were talking together as they walked through the kiddy pool. Two men and a woman in their late twenties were in the spa over by the pool. Coming out of the bigger slide on a raft was Ayden and another guy with dirty blonde hair who looked a little older than him. Oliver came out behind them.

"Exactly how many lifeguards are there?" Sissi asked as she looked around trying to pick a spot to go.

"18 at this pool area, I think, but some of them are trainees and not all of them come everyday. I know most of them, but only by name. I'm only good friends with a few like Oliver, Ayden, and that blonde lifeguard over there whose name is Ian. He's 18 and better friends with Ayden as you'll probably be able to tell if you met him. I'm ok friends with Tammy and Kris," he continued as he pointed over to the two girls walking in the kiddy pool. "Kris is the short redhead, and Tammy is the blonde. Kris is about 17 although she looks barely 15, and Tammy is 16." Sissi nodded.

"So, where did you want to hang out?" he asked.

"I don't care. We can hang out with your friends if you'd like. It doesn't really matter to me," she stated.

"Ok, the slide it is," he said and started to walk to the stairs. "Trust me you'll love it. It's faster when we don't have to slow it down for the kids."

"Oh, wait!" Sissi said quickly and Kiptyn stopped. "I'll be right back." She quickly ran over to her lawn chair and took off her shirt and laid it there. Then, she quickly headed back toward Kiptyn and the stairs. "Ok, now I'm ready."

Kiptyn smiled and they both ran up the stairs to the top of the slide. "Nice to see you made it, Kip," Ayden said and laughed. He sat down on his tube and Ian sat down behind him.

"You got yourself a girlfriend?" Ian asked and raised his eyebrow skeptically. "Since when?"

"She's just a friend. Her name's Sissi. Sissi, this is Ian."

Ian smiled at her and winked. "Sweet. Guess she's up for grabs then?" Kiptyn rolled his eyes. "I'll see you around, doll," Ian said and pushed off the back, propelling his raft foreword. Both he and Ayden gave a shout of excitement as they headed off.

"I understand what you meant when you said he was like Ayden," Sissi said and Kiptyn and Oliver both laughed at the same time.

"She sure got that right. They could be brothers," Oliver said and laughed as he pushed his own tube down the slide.

Kiptyn grabbed a tube for two from the stack behind him and set it in the pool of water at the base of the slide. "Is this alright? You can have the front."

"Yeah. This is fine," Sissi said and stepped into the pool and got into the front of the tube. Kiptyn took the spot behind her.

"Ok, Sissi, this is faster than your normal water slide, so hold on. Here we go!" He shouted as he pushed the tube away from the edge and down the slide. Sissi let out a shriek and Kiptyn laughed as they headed into the dark. They were sent quickly around turns, then down a drop, and out into the pool where they floated to the edge. "Wooh, that was awesome."

"Oh my gosh! I thought I was gonna die! And kids can ride that thing?" Sissi asked as she got out of the raft and climbed the steps out of the pool.

Kiptyn laughed. "Yeah, but I told you. While the lifeguards use it, they raise the amount of water pushing the tube down and make it go way faster. When kids use it, it's only half that speed. We're lifeguards. We're not gonna kill somebody. We can handle more speed." Then, he got off the raft and pulled it out of the water with him and put it on the conveyer belt to the left of where the slide empties into the pool. "Wanna go again?"

"Yeah! I'll race you to the top!" Sissi shouted and headed off to the steps taking them two at a time. Kiptyn smiled and headed after her.

------m------

Aelita yawned and blinked her eyes. It was 8:47 by the clock. She yawned again and then recognized where she was. Two arms were wrapped around her waist. Her back was pressed to his chest and his chin was resting on her shoulder. He was snoring softly, still asleep. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. The arms around her pulled tighter and loosened as if in his sleep, Odd was reassuring himself that Aelita was still there. Aelita smiled and opened her eyes again. _Should this feel this good? I can't tell when I should say no. This can't be bad, can it? We have to get up soon anyway. _As if reading her mind, Odd stirred. His eyes fluttered open and looked at the clock over Aelita's shoulder. 9:02, it read. He smiled as he realized Aelita was wrapped in his arms. Aelita slowly slithered out of his arms and turned herself around.

"Good morning," she said and smiled at him.

"Good morning, princess. Did I wake you?"

"No, I was already awake. I've been awake for a little while now. Are you ready to get up?"

"Yeah, I guess so. I'm not that tired anymore. I'm hungry."

Aelita laughed and sat up in bed. "When aren't you hungry, Odd? Even right after you eat you're hungry."

He laughed and sat up next to her. "Not all the time, just most of the time." He turned and draped his legs over the side of his bed and stood up. "I'm gonna get dressed and when I'm finished we can go next door and get you some clothes. By now, Yumi should be up." Aelita nodded and Odd went into the bathroom.

Aelita took this as a chance to look around the room and at herself in the mirror. _If I'm going over next door and Yumi and Ulrich will be seeing me, I don't want to look awkward in Odd's clothes. _She stood up and walked over to the closet mirror to inspect herself. Her hair was slightly messy, but no more than a normal night's sleep. The sweatshirt was slipping over her shoulder so she tried to pull it up, but it was of no use because it continued to slip anyway. The shorts didn't look too bad, just a little too big for her. She scowled at the image. _I look ridiculous in this. _

Odd came out of the bathroom as she was looking at herself in the mirror and trying to brush her hair with her hands. She looked over at him. He was dressed in blue jeans and a magenta short sleeved shirt on top of a long sleeved purple shirt. "What are you doing?"

"I don't want to look…uh…bad in front of Yumi and Ulrich."

"Oh, oh…I get it, but bad isn't the word you meant. You meant you don't want to look like we did anything last night."

Aelita blushed and headed for the restroom. "I'm just gonna grab my stuff and then we can head over to my room." She walked in a quickly took off Odd's sweatshirt, put on her bra, and put the sweatshirt back on. Then, she grabbed her dress and tights which were still a little damp and headed back out of the restroom. "Alright, I'm ready," she said as she picked up her shoes. Odd opened the door for her and he walked her across the hallway and knocked on her door.

------m------

Yumi heard the knock on the door and pulled her lips out of Ulrich's and slid away from him. Ulrich awkwardly ran his hand through his hair and slid off the bed as Yumi went to answer the door. "It's probably just Odd and Aelita," she said as she walked over and started unlocking the dead bolt. She opened the door a crack and sure enough it was them. Aelita gave an awkward smile and rushed in past Yumi. Yumi tried not to stare but raised her eyebrows at Odd. Ulrich watched as she came in and without a word grabbed for some clothes out of her drawer and quickly headed for the restroom. She shut the door behind herself and within the minute the water could be heard.

Odd walked in and shut the door behind himself. "Hey, guys! Long night?"

Yumi raised her eyebrows at him. "Should I be asking you the same thing? What was Aelita wearing? I didn't even know she was on _that _good of terms with you. You didn't…did you?"

Odd laughed and smiled as he sat on the edge of Yumi's bed. "Of course not. Although it does look like it, huh?" He laughed again. "That's just all I had for her to wear. She didn't mind when she first got it, but in the morning she was thinking the same way as you guys."

"Well, that's a relief," Ulrich said and got off the bed and headed toward the door. "I'm gonna get changed real quick. I'll be right back." Yumi and Odd nodded and he left the room, closing the door behind him.

Yumi walked over to her own drawers and picked out her own set of clothes for the day: a pair of black skinny jeans, a gray and red striped turtle neck, and a black v-neck sweater. She forced Odd out of the room for the few minutes it took her to get dressed, and by the time she was finished, Ulrich had completed getting dressed as well and came back in with Odd. His outfit wasn't much different than always: khakis, a long sleeve brown shirt with some kind of design, and a green jacket. Odd sat back down on Yumi's bed. "Where are we going for breakfast? Do you want to invite your brother and Johnny and Milly and Tamiya?"

"Why would we do that? I never invite my brother to breakfast," Yumi asked and pushed him off of the bed as she tried to make it.

Odd glared at Yumi and landed on the floor in a thump. Yumi smiled cockily at him. "Oh, I don't know. Aelita doesn't want to eat breakfast alone."

"There's four of us, Odd," Ulrich said holding up four fingers, "or can't you count? Since when is four people considered alone?"

"Oh, I don't know. I didn't say it was. Aelita wants to eat as a group. I don't know why. I just know that she does," he said and the water turned off. "Hey, where's Sissi?"

"I don't know and I don't care. She didn't spend the night here last night," Ulrich stated.

"Well, maybe she slept in the lobby or something. Did she leave a note? Jeremie left a note, but you know Jeremie," Odd said and laughed. "Let's not eat at Chez Café. That's where he's going to be."

"Alright. Whatever's fine with me," Yumi said and shrugged. Aelita walked out of the restroom, dressed in a pink sweater dress and blue jeans and ready to go.

"So, who's eating with us?" she asked as she continued to dry her hair with a towel. Ulrich looked around to see if the others were going to answer before him.

"Who do you want to go?"

"Oh, I don't know. Whoever wants to: Hiroki, Sissi, Johnny, Jared, and Milly and Tamiya if they want." She smiled. "Anyone else you guys want to invite?"

Yumi raised her eyebrow at her, "You want all those people to come to eat breakfast with us?" Aelita shrugged and nodded.

The next few minutes we spent calling phones and asking questions. Sissi's phone seemed to be off. Hiroki answered his, wondering why his sister was calling him to meet her for breakfast. Yumi quickly explained that they were inviting Milly as well. He quickly responded that he and Johnny would gladly come and meet them there. Milly also answered her phone and wondered why Ulrich was calling her. She also calmly informed him that he was too late, and that she was already seeing someone, which Ulrich got a laugh out of. She and Tamiya also accepted and said that they would meet them there. Jared answered his phone, and gladly excepted saying that he would give anything for an excuse to get away from his new "step mom" and his brothers. Aelita quickly gave him the details and he said he would be on his way soon.

They four headed off to one of the breakfast buffets that they new they could get for free and told the server that they had a party of nine. The server led them to their table and the rest of their party soon arrived. Aelita smiled as they all took a seat and ordered drinks before heading off toward the buffet.

------m------

"Hey, Hiroki, did you want to do something today?" Johnny asked as they grabbed some food and stacked it up on their plates. "Anything you had planned?"

"No, I don't have anything planned. Maybe someone else has something planned. We could ask," Hiroki stated and piled more food onto his plate.

They both returned to the table and sat down. Milly and Tamiya were already eating, and the others soon arrived at the table with a plate full of food.

"So, Aelita, was there anything you wanted to do today?" Odd asked as he stuffed his mouth full of eggs.

"No, but I want to go skiing sometime."

"I definitely want to go skiing!" Yumi added. "The only thing is I promised I'd go with Sissi, so we can't go today. I don't even know where she is."

Odd rolled his eyes, "Why duu we ave to ake miss priness skiin wif us?" he asked in the middle of chewing.

"Because I promised her. If she gets in the way, we'll just go off on our own, but we have to make sure she's with us at the beginning at least," Yumi said.

"Well, then. How about we go tomorrow?" Ulrich asked. "That way, we can all do whatever we want today before we all do something tomorrow."

"Sure, that sounds great," Aelita said with a smile. "So, who's up for it?"

"Ulrich and I are coming regardless of if he wants to or not," Yumi stated and smiled. He gave an awkward smile.

"I'm definitely going, princess," Odd answered.

"If it's alright with you guys, Johnny and I want to go," Hiroki said smiling.

"Sure, Hiroki, you both can come," Aelita said and smiled.

"But, Hiroki, I thought we were going skiing together," Milly murmured.

"Why don't you and Tamiya just join us, Milly," Aelita offered. "The more the merrier. I wouldn't want to leave you guys out if you wanted to come."

"Thanks, Aelita," Tamiya said and continued to eat.

"Then, you also need to take into account for Sissi and her lifeguard friend who I'm sure she'll want to take," Yumi said.

"Wait, Sissi has a lifeguard friend?" Ulrich and Odd asked almost simultaneously.

Yumi laughed. "Yeah, that's who she was probably with all last night. She told me not to wait up for her. I'm almost positive she'll want him to come along."

"Well, alright," Aelita stated with a smile. "Then, that leaves only one more to ask." She turned toward Jared and looked him in the eyes. "Do you want to join us?"

"What? Me? You want me to come along? Are you sure? I mean I don't really want to intrude in your outing," he insisted.

"No, really. It'd be fun, and if you ever felt like you were intruding too much you could leave. I won't force you to come, but you're more than welcome to join us," she said and smiled at him. "Don't feel like you're intruding. I want you to come."

"Aelita, I'm not sure if all of you feel the same way about that," he said and glanced in Odd's general direction. Aelita followed his glance and looked at Odd.

"Oh, Odd doesn't mind if you come. Do you, Odd?"

Odd was slightly uneased, but Aelita's smile was too much for him. "I don't mind," he murmured awkwardly. "I guess he can come along."

Aelita rolled her eyes and Odd went back to eating. "See, I told you he wouldn't mind," she said and smiled at Jared. "Now what do you say? Will you come with us? Please?"

He looked at Aelita, she was smiling one of the biggest smiles he had seen her in a while if not ever. She looked so beautiful. He looked away for a second and glanced at each of the others. Hiroki and whoever his friend was, he couldn't remember the name, were ignoring the conversation and talking with the other younger girls across from them. He couldn't remember their names either. Yumi and Ulrich were giving him smiles, Yumi more than Ulrich as he could tell Ulrich was not enjoying the fact that he even had to go himself. Then, he finally glanced back over at Odd we was trying to ignore the situation and was stuffing himself with the rest of a few pancakes and bacon. He couldn't look at the others for long, though, as his eyes were drawn back to Aelita. Her face was pleading him to come along. _How can I resist temptation? How can I make _her _mad? It's almost impossible. But, I don't want to get in the way again. I don't need Odd on my back again, and I don't want her to be upset with him either. But, how can I stay away from her when she wants me to come? What if I want to come? Is it wrong for me to want to see her? To want to be with her? Is it so bad? I need to stop myself before I do something stupid. _"Um, I don't know. I'm not sure if I should go, Aelita," he said with a sigh. Aelita's smile faded slightly.

"Oh, come on. Please? We all want you to come," she pleaded and gave another encouraging smile to him. "You don't even have to stay the whole time. Just come for a little while, and then you can leave. I promise."

_Why does it hurt me so much to say no to her? Is it because I hate to see girls cry and be upset or what? Is it her or would I do this for anyone? _"Fine, I'll come, but I don't know how long I'll stay," he said and Aelita's face glowed.

"Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Oh, you won't regret it! I promise!" she insisted and gave him a quick hug. "I promise. Ok, I'll call you when we work out the details," she said and smiled again. Then, she got up and went back up to the buffet to get more food. Ulrich and Yumi followed.

"Hey, you're ok with this aren't you, Odd? I mean, it's fine if I'm friends with you guys, right?" Jared asked awkwardly.

"Yeah, I mean I guess so. I'm not Aelita's bodyguard or anything. She can be friends with who she wants," Odd said with a half-smile. Then, he leaned over Aelita's empty seat to get closer to him. He brought his voice down to more of a whisper. "I'm fine with you being friends with us, but if I _ever_ see you and Aelita acting like more than friends, so help me I won't be ok with that. I've worked way too hard to get Aelita to trust me than to have you mess it all up again. I love Aelita, and I don't want you to forget that. Besides, I don't think it would be fair to make her choose again now would it?" he said with a smile. Jared nodded.

"I don't want to get between you guys. Honest. I just want to be friends. Just tell me if I get closer than you want, and I'll back off, k?" he said to him. "Now, I think I'll go get more food." Then, he got up and headed back up to the buffet.

Odd watched him go, and then after a minute or two, he got up to go get another plate of food for himself.

------m------

Jeremie stared at the door as he sat at the table waiting for someone to show up. William was across from him and he was intently studying his menu. "What does 'comes with one side' mean? Does the chicken only have one side? Is it the left or the right side?"

Jeremie sighed and pointed out the list of side dishes at the bottom of the menu. "It means you can choose one of these," he said and continued to look for any trace of Aelita or the others.

"What is a flambé?"

"Just get something that you've had before," Jeremie said and sighed again. "Do you think Aelita and Odd will show up?"

"Show up what?"

"Ugh. Do you think they will come here?" he asked again. "Do you think they are still mad at me?"

"I'm not sure. Do they know how to get here?" he asked and continued to stare at his menu.

"Yes. They do. I'm just not sure if they'll show up…err… I mean come."

"It's ok," William said and placed his menu on the table. "I'm getting a super secret BBQ recipe chicken. How secret is it? Will they have to hide it? Do you think it has both sides? It says it comes with two."

Jeremie sighed and shook his head. "Just pick something off that little box I showed you at the bottom. Pick two."

"Um…I want potatoes and cheese casserole. It sounds like castle roll. I think it'd be pretty hard to roll a castle. I'd like to see them try." William laughed at his own joke and Jeremie just shook his head.

_I guess they're not coming. I bet they're still mad at me anyway. Doesn't matter to me. _

"Don't worry, Jeremie. If they succeed at rolling the castle, I'll protect you."

He shook his head and rolled his eyes. "Thanks, William. Let's just order."

"Order what? Alphabetical or chronological or biggest to smallest? If you're talking about the silverware, they already did that for us."

Jeremie shook his head as the waiter walked up. "Just tell the man what you want to eat."

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	34. What to Do and What Not to Do

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**No Matter What They Say**

**Chapter 34: What to Do and What Not to Do**

"Don't stare at me like that," Sissi said as Ian stopped in front of her as she headed up the stairs a third time.

"Like what?" he said as he raised his eyebrows and smirked.

"Like, like, like that! Oh, you know what you're doing!" she said and tried to get around him. Kiptyn was putting the raft on the conveyor belt, but watched from afar.

"There isn't a law against it, now is there?" he asked and smirked again, barring her way with his arms.

Sissi rolled her eyes and tried to move around him. "Please move."

"Oh, my apologies, miss," he said sarcastically and laughed. Then, he moved his arm too the side to let her pass. Sissi looked at him skeptically, but passed by him. He laughed again and grabbed her butt as she passed. She turned around quickly to face him, her face flushing. He just raised his eyebrows at her and smirked again. Sissi sighed exasperatedly and stormed off angrily up the stairs.

"What'd you do?" Kiptyn asked Ian when he got to him.

"I was just messing around. Of course, you shouldn't mind cuz technically she ain't your chick yet so she's still up for grabs. Plus, it's not like I did anything bad. She should be used to it."

"What did you do?" Kiptyn asked angrily.

"Chill, I just grabbed her butt. Gosh, mommy, I'm sorry. I didn't think you'd be that upset," Ian said and chuckled. Kiptyn just glared at him as he passed on his way up the stairs. "Oh, FYI, Kip," Ian called after him, "you've got jealousy all over your face." He chuckled again and motioned towards his own face as if he was pointing out something leftover from breakfast.

"Ha ha, so funny, Ian," he muttered and continued up the stairs.

"I'm sorry bout Ian," he said to Sissi who was rubbing her arm awkwardly. "He's mostly Ayden's friend. He's only got one thing on his mind. I'm not even that good of friends with him. Don't let him bother you."

"It's fine," Sissi murmured awkwardly. _I'm in way over my head. Maybe, if I just leave soon, I can catch up to Ulrich and see if I can get with him instead. I think these guys are out of my league. _"Um, I think I should get going."

"What? I thought you were staying all day," he contradicted.

"I think my dad will be looking for me soon," she muttered and looked away from Kiptyn as if by not looking at him he might not see the lie.

"Is this because of Ian? He's rude. I know. Don't leave because of him," Kiptyn urged. "Besides, we only have 10 more minutes before I have to get work and people will be coming in. Please, don't leave on his account. After the people start coming in, he'll have to get to work, and then you can hang out with me, and he won't be able to bother you. Just stay," he pleaded.

His eyes shined up at her. She looked over at him and sighed. "I guess I'll stay."

He smiled at her and grabbed a raft from the pile behind him. "You won't regret it. I promise."

She smiled at him. "Ok, if you say so."

They continued to slide down the slide for the few minutes that remained of the lifeguards' free time. Ian and Ayden were over in the pool area trying to drown each other. Neither one of them came to bother Sissi any longer. Oliver was lying on a lawn chair with his hair and hands covering his eyes. He was probably asleep or at least resting. A whistle blew and the tall, muscular brunette that Sissi had seen at the rental counter called everyone over. Kiptyn gave Sissi a half-smile and mentioned that he would be back and headed over to where all of the lifeguards were gathering.

Sissi walked over to the lawn chair where she had placed her shirt and lied down. She could here the lifeguards laughing and talking together as each of them grabbed their clipboard and then headed to their assigned place. Then, the tall brunette went and opened the door so that the public could get in. There were a few people waiting at the gate already, a group of five year olds along with two women that were most likely the kids' mothers. The kids quickly ran in and put their stuff down on a couple of lawn chairs and ran to go get in line for the slide. Oliver was up at the top already, turning the speed of the water down.

"Alright, now what?" Sissi asked as Kiptyn walked back toward the pool he was supposed to watch.

"Now, I climb up onto that chair and sit," he said and pointed over to the chair at the other side of the pool. "I sit there and watch to make sure no one drowns. I'll be there from now until 12. Well, we get a couple breaks where we can get down and swim for a little while, but other than that, I just sit up there."

"And, I'm supposed to do what?"

"You can do whatever you want. You're welcome to go down the slide, or hang out in the lazy river, or swim here, or walk in the kiddy pool, or relax over in the spa, or something. Whatever you want, it's your choice," he stated and smiled at her before heading over and climbing up onto his chair. "Oh, and FYI, Ian is watching the lazy river with Ayden."

"Oh, thanks for that," Sissi said and smiled up at him from a distance. Sissi walked around looking at the various people coming in through the door. A group of girls from Kadic ran in heading strait for the slide. Sissi couldn't recognize any of them, but they seemed to be around 5th graders.

------m------

"Hey, did you see Aelita last night?" Clisté asked the group of girls around her as they waited in line for the slide together.

"No, why? Oooo, was she with that 15 year old again?" Kyra asked anxiously. "I bet she was, wasn't she?"

"No, she was all by herself."

"What?!?" Kyra asked, shocked.

"With all of those guys to choose from, she was by herself?" Liana asked. "She wasn't with Odd or Hiroki? She wasn't even with Jeremie?"

"Nope," Clisté stated. "But, that's not even the point. You didn't see what she was wearing!"

"What was she wearing?" Kyra asked quickly.

"She had a tight black dress on, along with some pink tights and black heels. I'd never seen her like that before. She was heading towards one of the bars when I saw her. But, get this, she had giant bruises on her arms," Clisté stated. The other two girls ate up her words.

"Where do you think she got those from?" Kyra asked innocently.

"My bet is that Jeremie gave um to her that night that she was fighting with him," Liana stated and the other two nodded in agreement.

"Why do you think she was going to a bar dressed like that?" Kyra asked. "Do you think she was meeting someone there?"

"I couldn't tell. As far as I saw, she was alone," Clisté said and they continued up to the top of the slide.

"That's so strange," Liana said skeptically. "Maybe Hiroki would know."

"Maybe, but I'm not asking him," Clisté said defensively.

"Well, I'm not either," Kyra said and grabbed a double tube. "Come on, Liana. We'll see you at the bottom," she said to Clisté as they headed down.

Clisté nodded and grabbed her own tube. Oliver nodded toward her when the coast was clear, and she followed her friends down to the bottom.

------m------

Odd, Aelita, Jared, Yumi, and Ulrich finished up eating and said goodbye to Hiroki and the others. They had decided that they would go do something on their own and meet up sometime early tomorrow to go skiing. So, Hiroki and Johnny stayed behind to finish eating with Milly and Tamiya, while the others left to go do whatever they wanted.

"Alright, Odd," Yumi stated smirking, "you've had enough time with Aelita. She's mine for the day. You and Ulrich can do something together." Yumi wrapped her arm protectively around Aelita. "Aelita and I will see you later. Call me tonight to make arrangements for tomorrow. See ya around," Yumi stated boldly and smirked again.

Aelita shrugged and quickly said goodbye as Yumi dragged her away from the boys. Ulrich and Odd just looked at each other and shrugged. "I guess it's just us now," Odd said and smiled at Ulrich.

"Yeah, I guess so, well unless you wanted to hang out with us, Jared," Ulrich said as he turned toward him for a reply.

Jared looked at them both awkwardly. Odd was trying to smile, but came off uneased. Jared looked back and forth from Ulrich to Odd for a second or two before responding. "Um, that's alright. I've got something to do anyway. I'd better go. You two can spend some time together and I'll see you tomorrow," Jared said and smiled awkwardly. "I'll see you around." Then, he headed off down the hallway and away from them.

"Well, Odd, I guess it is just you and me," Ulrich stated and smiled at him. "What do you have in mind?"

"First of all, I'm going back to our room to take off these braces. Second of all, I'm going to go find that two-story arcade they mentioned that was on the premises."

Ulrich looked at Odd and raise an eyebrow. "Since when do you know the word premises? And, when did you find out there was a two-story arcade?"

"I'm smarter than I look, Ulrich."

"Well, that's good because you don't look very smart," Ulrich said and started to laugh.

"Alright, laugh all you want. They told me about it when we first got here. That's not the point. Do you want to go or not?"

"Who builds a ski resort with an arcade?"

"Who cares!? They have one! So, stop asking questions, and let's get going!" Odd insisted and he headed for the elevator.

------m------

"Yumi, where are we going?" Aelita insisted as she was dragged away by her wrist. Yumi was walking at a brisk pace and taking various sharp turns, and Aelita was having a hard time keeping up with her.

"You'll see. Just keep up," Yumi stated and kept walking.

Aelita sighed and tried to keep up with Yumi's pace. "You can let go of my wrist, Yumi. I'm coming." Yumi didn't respond, but just kept walking. "I mean, I'm sure wherever you're taking me will be great and all, but I can just follow behind you. You don't have to drag me along. Yumi!"

Yumi kept walking until she reached a door near the end of a hallway. "We're here," she said and stopped abruptly. Aelita looked at the door in front of her. It was made of the same foggy glass that the room she and Odd had been in was made of. It didn't look any different than that of any of the other doors down this hallway. There was a little plaque on the wall beside the door that read 'Rink 1'.

"Yumi, where are we?"

"I passed this room on my way back to our room last night, and I knew that you needed to come here."

"So, where are we?" she asked insistently.

Yumi smiled and opened the door to a small room with a rental window on the right and another foggy glass door in front of them. Yumi turned to the window and got two rental tickets and then opened the door for Aelita to walk in. In front of her was a fairly decent sized ice skating rink. There were a few people here and there, but not too many. "I know how you love to ice skate and I've never really been before, so I thought you'd enjoy coming here. I thought it'd be a good place for us to hang out and talk," Yumi said and Aelita smiled and turned to give her a hug.

"Thanks, Yumi. This is great, but why didn't you want Ulrich or Odd to come along."

"Well, first of all, Ulrich is already kind of upset about having to go skiing with us, and I didn't want to upset him even more. Second of all, I thought they'd both think it was a girly thing to do. And, thirdly, we can't talk about them if they're here, now can we?"

Aelita smiled at Yumi, and Yumi smirked. "Thanks, Yumi! This'll be great!"

------m------

Sissi walked back over toward the pool where Kiptyn was. There were a few people there, but not to many. She waved up to Kiptyn and walked down the steps into the pool. The water was just warm enough that she didn't mind staying in. _Ugh, how can guys stand the way these feel on them? These shorts are ridiculous. I feel like they could slip off at any moment. _Sissi walked back and forth on the shallow end of the pool, making sure that her hair didn't get in the water and that he pants didn't slip off. She looked around at the other people in the pool, trying to see if there was anyone that she knew that she could talk to. She couldn't seem to find anyone that she even remotely knew. She thought she recognized two sixth graders trying to dunk each other in the deep end, but she didn't want to talk to them. She just waded back and forth until she got tired. Then, she went and sat down on the steps. She tried to entertain herself by creating ripples in the water, but it didn't take long before she was bored. She then tried to fix her hair into something, but it wouldn't do anything for her so she sighed and just gave up. Finally, she gave up being bored and just let her hair get wet. She submersed herself completely underwater and shook her head. Then, she came up and backstroked her way to the other side of the pool and back, stretching her arms out and finally becoming more entertained.

She looked up at Kiptyn and he smiled at her, before she turned to swim back to the other side of the pool again. When she arrived back at the shallow end, she stood up and pushed her hair back out of her face. The kids she thought she had recognized were now jumping into the pool and creating huge splashes. She turned away from them and tried not to let the water hit her in the face. She thought about yelling at them, but decided against it because Kiptyn was there. She just crinkled her nose and glared over at them.

Then, she submersed herself back underwater to fix her hair again and try to ignore the boys at the end of the pool. She swam a little ways underwater until she felt something heavy land hard on top of her back, knocking the breath completely out of her. She squirmed and thrashed trying to reach the surface, but she kept getting turned around and couldn't seem to find it. Her lungs ached for oxygen and she couldn't help but try to suck in a breath. The only thing she found was water that swarmed into her lungs. She started to see tunnel vision and she could feel herself sinking down to the bottom of the pool. The next thing she knew an arm was wrapped around her waist and pulling her back up to the surface.

"Sissi, Sissi. Can you hear me?" a voice came from somewhere. She seemed to be lying on a hard surface. She still couldn't seem to find the air she needed. Suddenly something firm pressed down onto her lips and air came flowing into her lungs. The only way she responded was to cough at the suddenness. So she did, and water flowed out of her mouth, and her eyes fluttered open. She continued to cough up water, and she sat up. Kiptyn was kneeling next to her. She propped herself up so she wouldn't choke on the water, and she tried to take slow deep breathes. Kiptyn looked down at her and smiled.

"Don't scare me like that," he said. "If you wanted to hang out with me you could just wait until it was my break. You don't need to drown on purpose."

Sissi coughed and tried to speak. "I didn't do it on purpose. Something landed on me," she said and coughed again.

"Yeah, I know," Kiptyn said and chuckled. "Are you ok now? The kid who landed on you was really sorry, but he left before you came to."

Sissi nodded and coughed again. "I guess I should have been more careful."

"It's not your fault. The kid should have been watching. It's one of the rules. Wes is over there talking to him and his friend about the situation. You really had me scared," Kiptyn said and smiled again. "I'm glad you're alright."

"Well, thanks for saving me," Sissi muttered "I feel like such an idiot for having to say that. I hope you don't think I'm an unobservant kid or something."

"No, I don't think that at all. Besides it's part of my job description," Kiptyn said and smiled again. "Here, let me help you up." He stood up and offered his hand out to her. She gladly took it and he helped her up. "There, are you alright now?"

"Yeah, I think so." Sissi blushed and looked away.

"That's good. Do you need anything? A drink or something to eat? Is your throat sore from swallowing that much water?"

"A drink would be nice, thanks," she said and he nodded. He sat her over on her lawn chair and walked over to the snack bar and quickly returned carrying a plastic cup.

"Here, it's an icee fruit blend we make here. It's really good, and it should make your throat feel better." He handed her the cup, and she took it and took a sip. The drink was cold and soothed her scratched throat.

"Mmmm. Thanks, Kiptyn."

"You're welcome. I've got to get back to work, but I'll be right there if you need anything more. Plus, we've got a break coming in a little over 15 minutes. Just keep drinking that, and I'll be back at break unless you need something before that," he said and smiled at her again. "Watch out for yourself."

She nodded and took another sip of her drink as she watched him go back up into his stand. The people got back into the pool, and resumed playing or swimming like nothing had happened. The two boys that had been jumping into the pool were sitting on the side talking together. She wasn't sure if it was because they weren't allowed back in because of what had happened or if they just felt bad because one of them had fallen on top of her. Either way, they were sitting on the side and it didn't look like they were going to get back into the pool any time soon. Sissi just continued to sip her drink and watch what was going on around her. A few people seemed to have noticed the incident because a few gave her sympathetic looks before resuming what they were doing. Others seemed not to have noticed the scene at all. Two girls a ways away must have notice because they were looking jealously at her, and when she looked over, they quickly looked away, but continued to whisper together.

_What's that all about?_ She thought to herself. _Don't look at me that way. Why would they be jealous of me? I almost drowned. It's not like that's a fun experience. _She looked back over at them and they were looking over at her still whispering. Sissi just shrugged her shoulders. _What did I do? What could they be jealous about? I was swimming. I got hit by some falling sixth grader? That can't be it. I was saved by a lifeguard? Maybe. I got a free fruity drink? Why would that be it? I must be missing something. They can't be jealous of my swimsuit because it looks like a goth threw up on me. The sixth grader can't be it. They're much too old for sixth graders. Is it because of Kiptyn? Did they want to be saved by a lifeguard? Well, it's not so amazing. All he did was pull me out of the water, right? That's not so exciting. I mean drowning isn't fun at all. I couldn't even breathe. He practically had to…. Oh…. They like him, and he practically kissed me. Wait, he practically kissed me. Oh, get it together. He was only doing his job. He would do that for anyone who might drown. Just ignore them. They're jealous for no reason. _

She looked back over at them, and they just looked away. Sissi continued to sip on her drink and looked around at the other people in the pool area. Eventually, the two girls got up and walked over toward Kiptyn's stand. They both waved up at him and winked. Kiptyn gave them a half-smile, and they walked away. They didn't seem very happy. Sissi ended up laughing. She didn't know why she did because it wasn't that funny, but she laughed anyway as she watched them leave.

**Did you like it?  
I love writing about Sissi.  
Do I write to much about her?  
Urg....I'm not sure.  
What do you think?  
Review for a preview.  
The next chapter will come up soon....hopefully.  
If you're wondering why everything is so _not_ as exciting as it could be,  
it's because I'm leading up to something huge in, not the next chapter, but a chapter soon.  
Hopefully you won't get tired, and you'll continue to read!  
I promise that something exciting will come your way soon!  
Just promise me that you'll keep reading!  
Review for a preview of the next chapter!  
It's true. I don't lie.  
Haha, well, not about that at least.**

**Just review. It's worth it.**


	35. Have Fun

**Ok, yes. This one is not going to be as amazing or good as the last few.  
Please don't hate it.  
Just wade through it, and you'll like the next chapter. I promise.  
Review for a preview.**

**No Matter What They Say**

**Chapter 35: Have Fun**

Yumi finished lacing up her skates and stood up. Aelita had already finished. Yumi looked over at the ice. There weren't very many people there, and she didn't recognize any of them, which was good because she knew she was going to fall. Aelita smiled over at Yumi. Yumi smiled back and walked awkwardly toward her. "Ok, so how do I do this?" she asked when she reached the edge of the ice.

"Just step onto the ice, try to balance, and then glide your skates along. Don't pick up your feet unless you really have to," Aelita said and stepped onto the ice in front of Yumi. "Like this," she said and demonstrated for her. "It's easy once you get used to it."

Yumi stared as Aelita glided along and circled back to her. Then, she took a step onto the ice. She tried to gain balance and then took off. She wobbled awkwardly, but wasn't too bad. "This is hard. How do you do it?" Yumi asked.

"Practice. Odd used to take me skating all the time when he thought I had been working for too long. Jeremie would continue to work, and Odd would take me skating. I wasn't this good when I first started. I remember inviting Jeremie once or twice, but he doesn't really care to go. It's just natural for me now." Aelita smiled at Yumi.

"You're really good," Yumi said as she wobbled again and flailed her arms, trying to regain her balance.

"I'm not nearly as good as Odd," Aelita said. "He can go so fast it's not even a joke. He can go faster than me, backwards!"

"Wow," Yumi said shocked. "I'm not that bad for my first time," she said as she rounded another corner.

"Yeah, you're not too bad," Aelita said. Yumi looked over and smiled at her, but because she wasn't watching in front of her and stumbled. She flailed her arms to try and regain her balance, but couldn't in time, and she went down. "I guess I spoke too soon," Aelita said and laughed.

"Very funny. Now, how do you get back up?" Yumi asked as she tried to get up, but ended up falling over again.

Aelita laughed. "Kneel on one knee and push down on your other to support yourself. Then, pull yourself up."

Yumi tried, and eventually got up again. She brushed the ice off of her pants and tried to remain standing.

"Here. Take my hand," Aelita said and offered her hand out to Yumi.

Yumi took it, but looked skeptically at Aelita. "What are you going to do?"

"Oh, just hold on. It'll be fun," Aelita stated and smirked. Yumi tightened her grip on Aelita's hand and grabbed on with her other hand. Soon, Aelita took off skating. She started out slow, but got faster and faster until Yumi's eyes were wide in terror.

"Aelita! Slow down! You're going too fast!" she shrieked. Aelita laughed and sped up.

"That's what I used to say too, but afterwards, I wasn't as afraid to go fast. Odd used to do this all the time. Once and a while he'd even pull me backwards, and I was always afraid that he'd run into someone, but somehow we never did." Aelita smiled at the memory and sped up some more.

"Aelita!!!!"

------m------

"Well, I guess they're not showing up," Jeremie said as he glanced over at the clock. He had just finished his breakfast and William was still finishing his.

"Yeah, I guess not."

"Well, I'd figured just as much. I guess we better just go," Jeremie said and stood up. "Aren't you coming?"

"Where are we going?" William asked.

"I don't care. I don't have any previous arrangements," Jeremie said and put his hands in his pockets. "We can go wherever you want."

"Can we go on the roof?"

"Why would you want to go there?"

"To see if it is snowing."

"We could just take a walk outside. Why would we have to go all the way up onto the roof?" he asked.

"Because, snow is in the sky, right? And, the roof is the closest we can get to the sky," William said and gave Jeremie a stare as if everyone would do that.

"Come on. Let's go. We'll go take a walk," Jeremie said and shook his head before walking away.

"But, Jeremie, what about the snow?"

"Come on, William. I'll show you the snow." Jeremie sighed and walked away. William just followed behind.

------m------

Hiroki and Johnny had headed over to the two story arcade. They weren't sure what it was like, but they had wanted to check it out for themselves. They walked inside and were stopped at the door by a man in a checkered shirt asking their ages. They both stated that they were 11, and the man gave them blue wristbands. He told them that they were both good for anything in the arcade with a blue sticker on the side. They looked at each other with shocked expressions. They looked back at the man an asked him if it was free. He just looked at them skeptically and nodded. Hiroki just shrugged his shoulders and walked in with Johnny. Inside the actual arcade, they were immediately overwhelmed by the size. There were literally probably a hundred or more kids. A large percentage of them were wearing padding with lights on the shoulders, stomach and back, and carrying odd looking guns. Hiroki raised an eyebrow at Johnny and Johnny just shrugged. Hiroki walked up to one that looked a little older than them and asked him what he was wearing.

"Haven't you been here before? This is the laser tag gear. There's a full on war going on. Crohamas vs. the Gorghees! I can't talk for long." He looked around the room nervously and crept behind a wall, motioning for them to follow. "Someone might locate me!" He paused and leaned closer. "Here. I'll give you a tip. I'm a Crohama. Join my side and help me. I'll be an ally with you. You see, I'm only a 1st Croj, and sometimes the upper level players, even on your own team, try to gang up on you. If we become allies, than maybe they won't be able to get us. Go up to that booth on the second floor in the back right-hand corner and sign up on the Crohama side. You'll be given armor with blue lights like mine. Then, they'll give you a name and a rank. My name's Joe, but here I'm called Zoen, and I've already told you I'm a 1st Croj. You'll start out as Jr. Crojes, and work your way up. So what do you say?"

Hiroki looked at Johnny, and they both nodded. "Sure," they said and headed to the second floor to follow Joe's instructions. Joe quickly watched as they both left. He shook his head and turned alert as he headed back out into the battlefield.

------m------

"Hiroki, what are we getting ourselves into?" Johnny asked as they ran up the stairs. To their left and right, they could see a lot of the complex, but not even close to all of it. There were boys and girls of all ages running around in armor with blue or green lights. The oldest could easily have been 19, and there didn't seem to be too many younger than 10. To the right, there was a large mass of green-lighted people running after three or four blue-lighted people. Their lasers were blasting as fast as they could. Soon, Hiroki couldn't see the blue-lighted people anymore. They seemed to have disappeared into a wall.

"Johnny! Did you see that?" Hiroki asked, pointing in the direction of the disappearance. Johnny nodded. Soon, they reached the top of the stairs and headed to the back right-hand corner. It took almost five minutes to reach the desk. When they arrived, a teen girl with a high, long, blonde ponytail greeted them.

"Hey! You here to play?"

"Yeah," Hiroki and Johnny said quickly.

"First timers or returning competitors?" she asked with a smile.

"First timers," Hiroki said and gave her an awkward smile.

"Ah, I see. So do you have a preference of team? Crohama or Gorghee?"

"Um, we've been told to join the Crohama side," Johnny stated boldly.

"Alright," the blonde said. "May I see your wrist straps?" They both held out their arms and she scanned them. "Follow me." She smiled and walked back toward a doorway covered with think black straps. She pushed them aside and walked into a room full of armor. She handed each of them one with blue lights. "Alright," she said as they finished putting them on. "I've set each of you with maximum energy and health points. Just walk through the back door and watch a short video, and you'll be ready to go."

"Thanks," Hiroki and Johnny said simultaneously and walked through to the next room.

A picture came on the screen showing a tall brown-haired teen boy around 18 wearing blue-lighted armor. "Welcome, Crohama. So, you're new. That means you must be a Jr. Croj. That's fine you'll work your way up." There was a sound of multiple lasers going off in the background of the video. "As you can tell, the Gorghees have invaded and we've called for every Crohama out there. What to do is simple. Laser any Gorghee you can find. The more you shoot, the more points you get. The more points you get, the higher the level you go. Find secret passages if you can, but don't tell anyone, especially not a Gorghee. I trust you'll do fine. Oh, one more thing. If you shoot someone of higher rank, you get more points than someone of lower rank, so aim high. Also, if you happen to find any one of the rare power jewels, shoot at them or it you can, grab them. They look like this." 10 gems of various size and shape appeared on the screen. Soon it disappeared, and the boy reappeared on the screen. "Alright, I think you're ready. As you walk out the door, turn to the right and state your name and age into the microphone. Then, you will hear your new name being said. Then, it's off to battle with you. Be safe! I've got to get going!" The boy started to leave the screen, but paused and returned for a second more. "Oh, I forgot. My name's Jiha. If you need help at any time, come back here and wave the flag, and someone will be with you shortly. Make sure you wave the flag so people know you aren't just hiding. Good Luck!" Then the screen cut off.

"This'll be great, Hiroki. I wonder how cool our names are going to be. I hope I get something cool," Johnny said and headed toward the exit. "Johnny, age 11," he stated into the microphone.

"Welcome, Xi," a voice called from somewhere and a bunch of lights flashed. "Be safe."

"Sweet! Meet you right outside, Hiroki." Johnny shouted and left the room.

"Hiroki, age 11," he stated into the microphone.

"Welcome, Rikuji," a voice called from somewhere and again a bunch of lights flashed. "Be safe."

Hiroki exited and found Johnny. "So what's your name?"

"Rikuji?" Hiroki said questioningly. "What kind of name is that?"

"I bet it's normal," Johnny said. "Remember, I'm Xi. Now, let's go before we're spotted." Hiroki nodded and they headed off.

------m------

"What is this place?" Odd asked Ulrich as they both strapped on their green wristbands. "It's not like an arcade at all. I mean, there are a few games, but most of this place is made of some kind of maze like thing. What do all of these signs mean anyway?" He pointed up to one on the left that read: Dijuji Clearing and pointed left.

"Dijuji? Is that even a word?" Ulrich asked him. Just then, two girls in long pony tails wearing green armor ran by. "And, why does everyone look like that?"

"Were they carrying guns?" Odd asked. Ulrich shrugged. "I'm going to ask the next person I see." It happened to be a boy in blue armor walking slowly backwards looking around as if he was about to be attacked. "Hey, you!" The boy jumped and turned his gun on Odd. Odd and Ulrich immediately raised their hands in a surrender. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you, but what's going on here?"

The boy turned and put his gun down at his side and started to explain how this was a laser tag game on a whole new level. As he continued to explain, Ulrich and Odd turned to each other and smiled. "Race you to the top!" Ulrich shouted and they ran off to grab some armor and get signed in.

------m------

"So, are you having fun?" Aelita asked as she skated along next to Yumi.

"Yeah, I am," she replied with a smile, "And, you know what? I haven't fallen over in a long time. Let's hope I don't jinx myself." Aelita looked over at her and smiled.

"I'm glad you brought me here, Yumi," she said and grabbed Yumi's hand. "How is your hand so warm? Mine's freezing!"

Yumi laughed and shrugged her shoulders. "I guess I just have warm hands. Yours are pretty cold. Maybe we should sit out for a little while and warm them up." Aelita shook her head and said that it didn't matter. Yumi rolled her eyes and tried to speed up a little from her snail's pace skating. Aelita smiled and laughed. She quickly sped up as well, and Yumi tried to keep up.

"I'm not sure I can go this fast, Aelita!" she said and wobbled unsteadily. "This is a little faster than I can go without falling!"

"Come on, Yumi. You can do this," Aelita said and smiled at her. "You've got to learn to go faster sooner or later."

"Well, I was hoping more later than sooner!" Aelita laughed and grabbed Yumi's hand and sped up some more. "Aelita!!!! Slow down!!"

"This is nothing compared to Odd's speed."

"Please stop. Let's sit and talk or go slow and talk," Yumi suggested. Aelita rolled her eyes and slowed down. Yumi relaxed a little more. "Thanks. So, what'd you do last night while I was with Ulrich?"

"Oh, um…." Aelita thought to herself. _How much do I tell? _"I hung out with Odd, obviously, and um…went swimming."

"Did you have a good time?"

"Yeah, it was really fun. What about you? How did Ulrich's plan work? Did you love the dress?" Aelita asked eagerly.

"Yeah," Yumi said with a smile. "It was great. It wasn't just great. It was practically perfect. The whole night was. He took me to a gazebo filled with candles and we danced, and spent the entire night together."

"You and Ulrich _danced_?" Aelita asked shocked.

"Oh! I wasn't supposed to tell. Please, don't say anything to anyone. Ulrich would kill me," she stated nervously.

"I won't. So, how was it?"

"He danced great…yeah I know it's a shocker, but he did."

"No, no, no. How _was _it?" Aelita insisted.

"What do you mean? I already said it was great."

"I mean, how was it? Did he kiss you? Did you make out? So, how was it?"

"It was…well, amazing. Yeah, we kissed, and I've never felt better in my life. He was so sweet, and it was all so real. I was just in the moment, you know? Well, maybe not, considering you haven't really been with anyone for a long period of time, let alone made out with anyone," Yumi said awkwardly. "I guess you don't, but you probably get what I'm saying, right?"

"Well, you see. You're a bit wrong. I do know how it feels to be 'in the moment'," she said and gave Yumi a half-smile.

"What do you mean? I never thought you kissed Jeremie?"

"Well, no, but he's not the one."

"Odd? But, when?"

"Well you see, it was last night. I had this stupid idea to go to this bar by myself because Jeremie and Odd were fighting again and I was feeling bad, but when I left the bar I saw Odd and he apologized, and I, well, I kissed him. It was my first kiss," she said and blushed. Yumi looked shocked, but smiled. Aelita shook her head. "But, that's not all. Well, I mean, I didn't just kiss him once. You see, we went to coffee, and then we went to this lounge-type room and well, I think we made out."

"You think?" Yumi asked skeptically.

"Well, I don't really know what making out is, and I mean I've only ever seen it I the movies. I just kissed him, and I really don't know how well I did at all. I probably wasn't the best in the world, but oh, I don't know."

Yumi looked over and smiled at her, "And, what about the pool? What happened there?"

Aelita blushed a bit and turned away so Yum couldn't see as she contemplated just how much to tell her. "Oh, nothing really. We just swam around. We didn't really do anything. And then, we just went back to his room and I took a quick shower and changed into some clothes he had. You know he really isn't as scrawny as he seems to be because his clothes actually were a little big on me. Anyway…yeah, then we just hung out and eventually went to sleep. Yeah, and that's it."

Yumi raised an eyebrow at her. "Alright. Then, I guess you do know what I was talking about, or at least a little." Aelita looked away awkwardly. "Hey, don't feel bad. What's wrong?"

"Oh, nothing. I guess I'm just worried that I'm too knew at this and too inexperienced for Odd. You know? I mean, Odd is highly sophisticated at this type of material and I feel so inadequate." She sighed, and Yumi laughed. Aelita looked over, questioningly.

"Sorry. It's just I've never heard anyone describe Odd as 'highly sophisticated' before. It was just a shock for me." Yumi smiled and Aelita laughed. "That and I've never heard you talk about you being inadequate at anything. You help me with my homework and I'm a year older than you, and yet, to hear you say that you don't know what you're doing is just new to me. I guess we all have our things we know a lot about, and I just never recognized that you were lacking at this type of thing."

"Yeah, I guess I just never thought about it. I mean, well, I thought about it, but just not often because Jeremie just never really brought up anything of the sort, and I guess Odd wasn't an option to learn from. Oh, Yumi, what do I do?"

"I don't know. Wing it? Just learn from Odd. He'll be a better teacher than I could be. Just learn from experience."

"I don't know, Yumi. It's just, I'm not sure I can handle all of this so fast." Aelita sighed and shook her head.

"Then don't go too fast. Just tell Odd. I'm sure he'll be happy to go slow. He loves you, you know."

"Yeah," she murmured embarrassedly, "I know."

"Just talk to him." Yumi wrapped an arm around Aelita, but almost slipped and fell onto the ice. She barely caught herself before going all the way down. Aelita smiled and laughed. "Come on. Let's have some fun. I'll try to stay up, and you can try to go backwards." She smiled and laughed again.

Aelita laughed back and turned around backwards. "Deal."

------m------

Tamiya and Milly walked back to their room to put on their swimsuits so they could head off to the pool. "Tamiya?"

"Yeah? What is it, Milly?"

"Well. I finally got what I've always wanted, and now I'm so nervous. What do I do? I don't know a thing about this. It feels good to hold hands, but I feel so uncertain about anything else." Milly looked over at Tamiya with a 'help me' look.

"Don't ask me. I know about as much about this as you do. Don't worry about it. It'll come when you need it. My mom didn't have her first boyfriend until she was 17, and she didn't have her first kiss until 6 months after she started dating. So, I wouldn't be worried if I were you. Let's just go have some fun." Tamiya smiled and Milly smiled back. "I'll race you to our room!" she yelled and took off down the hallway with Milly laughing, trying to catch up.

**I know it wasn't as good.  
PLease don't hate me for it.  
I'm just glad you read it.  
I know I got off topic, but I'll bring it back in the next chapter.  
It'll be much better.**

**Review for a preview!**


	36. Guys are Stupid

**OK, first things first. No offense with the title, it just fits.  
I hope you like this chapter and I hope you think that it is a little better than the last one. (sorry)  
I hope it's a little better at least.  
I mean, it's still not the best.  
****Just read.  
The next one will be back to normal.  
Review for a preview.**

**No Matter What They Say**

**Chapter 36: Guys Are Stupid**

"Xi! Run! We've got um!" Hiroki aka Rikuji yelled at Johnny. They had been playing laser tag for the last few hours and they had just cornered a group of Gorghees. They lasered them all, and then turned and ran away. They went to a check point afterwards and closed the door behind them. Hiroki looked around for some instructions. After finding them, he typed his name into the keypad and watched as the screen poured out his information. He had received thousands of points already and had been promoted to a 1st Croj. "Your turn, Johnny."

Johnny stepped foreword and typed in his name. Then, the screen poured out his information. Both Johnny's and Hiroki's eyes widened as they saw Johnny's score move higher and higher and his rank go up. He was no longer a Jr. Croj. He wasn't even a 1st or 2nd Croj which were the next to levels in rank. He skipped them both and had been promoted to Crojean 1.

"Johnny, how'd you do it?" Hiroki asked surprised at his score. "I thought I was doing well."

"I guess that one of the guys I shot much have been a high rank. I don't know." Hiroki and Johnny both shrugged and headed out of the booth. They took a quick glance around and ran off to find some more Gorghees.

-m-

"Ulrich! Run!" Odd shouted as he ran faster away from the Gorghees that were chasing him.

"My name's Yurji!" Ulrich shouted back, but kept running.

"Whatever! Just run faster!"

The lasers of the Gorghees chasing them kept coming, but kept missing their mark. Ulrich and Odd quickly turned a sharp right and ran strait into two boys and knocked them over. The Gorghees lasered all of the boys while they were at a disadvantage and then quickly ran off.

"What was that for?" a black haired boy called, trying to get back up from the floor. "You made us loose points. Why didn't you watch where you were going? What are you a Jr. Croj?" he asked and finally got up from the floor along with his friend.

"Yeah," Ulrich replied embarrassedly. "Sorry, I didn't see you…. Hiroki!"

Hiroki looked at him and Ulrich looked back. "Ulrich? Oh, it is you! Sorry for that. Here, let's get out of range! We'll talk once we get there. Hurry, follow me, and don't get followed." Hiroki took off quickly with Johnny at his side. Odd and Ulrich shrugged and followed quickly as not to get left behind. They took a jumble of turns; so many that neither Ulrich nor Odd could have possibly remembered the way. They arrived at a normal looking brown pillar at the edge of a forest-type area. Hiroki pointed his gun on a small dot in the pillar, and knocked twice on the right side of where he placed his gun. Then, suddenly the pillar opened. Hiroki walked in and Johnny motioned for them to follow. Ulrich and Odd looked behind them to make sure no one was watching and then followed Johnny in. Once they were inside, Hiroki closed the door and relaxed.

"Ok, take a seat," Johnny said motioning toward rocky jut outs in the sides of the small enclosed area. There was only a small orange light illuminating the room for them to see by, but it was enough. Ulrich and the others all took a seat.

"So, when'd you guys get here?" Johnny asked.

"Oh, I don't know," Odd shrugged. I guess maybe an hour or so ago. "When did you get here?"

"Around the same time. So, how are you doing in the game?" Hiroki asked.

"Well, the last time I checked I had a little over two thousand points, and I was a 1st Croj," Odd said and smirked. "But, Ulrich, here, isn't doing as good."

"Shut up, Odd. I'm a little over a thousand and I'm a Jr. Croj, but that doesn't mean anything. I mean it's not like you guys are any farther, right?" Ulrich asked looking from Hiroki to Johnny.

Johnny took a glance at Hiroki and Hiroki smiled. "I'm a 1st Croj, and I think I've got like 3,000 points or something," Hiroki said and shrugged. "I guess you don't move up rank until a larger amount of points. As soon as you reach 2,000 you become a 1st Croj."

"Well," Johnny started. "I'm a Crojean 1. Yup. I've skipped both 1st Croj and 2nd Croj."

"How many points do you have?" Odd asked looking shocked. "I mean, I think it was hard just getting this far."

Johnny nodded. "I guess I'm just good. I have a little over 11,000 points. I must have gotten some upper rank guy in order to get that many points, but who knows what I have now that I just got shot again."

"Yeah, sorry about that," Ulrich said and rubbed the back of his head awkwardly.

"It's alright," Johnny said and smiled. "Now, you ready to go back out? We can be allies"

Ulrich and Odd nodded, and Hiroki started to work on unlocking the door. "How'd you stumble on this place anyway?"

"Oh, luck. I was trying to scope out this area and I tripped and landed perfectly with my gun on that dot and I just happened to hit the pillar twice, and it opened. So, we went inside. I don't think anyone knows about it. So, keep it that way." Ulrich and Odd nodded, and Hiroki opened the door.

-m-

Yumi and Aelita sat down on the side, watching the other people skate on the rink while they continued to eat a pretzel. They had gotten hungry and stopped for a snack break. They each had grabbed a pretzel from the refreshment counter. "This was a great idea," Aelita said and smiled.

"What? The ice skating or the pretzels?"

Aelita and Yumi both laughed. "Both," she said and took another bite. "I'm glad we came."

"Me too. We should do this more often."

"What? Ice skate or hang out together?" Aelita asked and smiled.

"Either. Both. I don't care. Whatever is fine with me. I just thought today has turned out really well." Yumi smiled and Aelita nodded in agreement.

"What do you think Ulrich and Odd are doing right now?" Aelita asked.

Yumi rolled her eyes. "Can't stop thinking about them, huh?"

"No. It's just…well, I just thought that they were probably doing something really boring and that maybe we should join them for a while. After all, we have been skating for a while now, and I don't know how much longer my ankles are going to take it."

Yumi laughed and Aelita couldn't help but laugh as well. "Fine. Whatever. Let's call them." Yumi pulled out her phone and pressed her speed dial for Ulrich's number. Aelita smiled and turned to wait for Ulrich to pick up.

-m-

Ulrich, Odd, and Hiroki were running after a Gorghee, shooting at him, but missing. They were trying to lead him toward where Johnny was hiding a little ways away. They turned the corner after him, and immediately Johnny jumped out and got him in the chest. His lights flashed, and he ran away quickly. They high-fived each other, but Odd saw three Gorghees coming there way, and they quickly had to get a move on again because there was no time for a celebration.

"Ahh!" Ulrich shouted.

"What happened?" Odd asked quickly as they all ran to find cover from the two boys and one girl Gorghee that were following them. "Did they hit you? Did you hit something? Are you injured?"

"No. No. It's nothing. My phone is just vibrating!"

"Well, this is no time to get a phone call!" Hiroki shouted back at him.

"I know. I know, but I've got to answer it. It could be my parents."

"Why would they call you?" Odd asked. "They only call when they get a call from the principal."

"Yeah, but still. I've got to check," Ulrich muttered and fumbled through his pocket for his phone, as he continued to run. He finally pulled his phone out, and Yumi's name and picture was flashing on his screen. "It's Yumi!"

"Can't she wait?" Odd asked.

"Just call her back!" Hiroki shouted and they all turned another corner. Johnny and Hiroki looked quickly back and fired a few shots from their lasers. Hiroki was lucky enough to actually hit one of them.

Ulrich contemplated for a moment before he put his phone back into his pocket and continued to run.

-m-

"He's not answering," Yumi stated and hung up. "I got his voicemail." Aelita shrugged. "What could he be doing that's so important that he won't answer my call? I mean it's not off. He just ignored it."

"I don't know, but he's bound to be with Odd. Just call him, and see if Ulrich just couldn't hear his phone."

Yumi nodded and quickly called Odd's number.

-m-

"I'll call her back when I get a chance!" Ulrich said and they turned another corner.

"That's good. We just have to get into that forest up there and I think we'll be able to loose them!" Johnny shouted and pointed ahead to what seemed to be a bunch of plastic trees all in one area.

"Good idea," Hiroki said and smiled. They still had a ways to go.

"What's that sound?" Ulrich asked and looked around.

Hiroki looked around as well, but kept running. "It's like a Japanese song coming from somewhere. It sounds like something you'd hear on DDR. Maybe there's one of them around."

"No. It's coming from Odd," Ulrich stated, and Odd looked at him strangely.

"Oh! That's Yumi!"

"What! Yumi would never listen to that junk!" Ulrich said and glared at him.

"No! It's my ringtone for Yumi!"

"You gave Yumi a Japanese ringtone!" Ulrich, Hiroki, and Johnny asked at the same time.

"Don't kill me. I just thought it'd suit her."

"That's so racist, Odd!" Ulrich shouted at him. Odd shrugged. "Well, aren't you going to answer?"

"You didn't."

"Well, if she's calling back, then she must want something." Odd shrugged again.

"I'll call her once we loose these guys," Odd stated. They all shook their heads, but continued on following Odd and his J-pop ringtone for Yumi.

-m-

"Odd's not picking up either. What could they be doing?" Yumi asked.

Aelita shrugged. "I'll try calling him. Maybe, he'll pick up this time." Yumi shrugged, but just waited as Aelita dialed the number.

-m-

The music stopped, and they all reached the entrance. Each dodged around trees and eventually lost them. They quickly met back up on the other side of the trees. "We lost um," Odd stated.

"Good. Now, I can call Yumi back," Ulrich said and reached for his phone.

"Not quite!" Johnny said and pointed to two of them that were coming out after them with their lasers blasting toward them. "You'll have to wait a little longer. Let's go!" They quickly ran away trying to dodge the lasers at the same time.

"What's that song, now?" Ulrich asked and looked immediately at Odd. "Is that a remix? What is that pop junk? Britney Spears?"

Odd looked shocked. "Ohhhh…." He scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "Yeah. That's Aelita. She must be calling me now because we didn't answer the calls from Yumi."

"So you gave her a Britney song? Is that Toxic?" Hiroki asked and he and Ulrich laughed.

"No! Well, it's a Britney and Gwen Stefani remix." They looked at him like he was insane. "What?"

"_That _makes you think of Aelita?" Ulrich asked. "That sounds nothing like her."

"Shut up! It did when I first got it, ok? I thought it would be bubbly like her. Oh, I don't know…. I guess it doesn't sound too much like her, but I don't care!" Odd shouted defensively. "Should I answer it?"

"No time," Johnny said and motioned for them to turn ahead.

-m-

"He's not answering," Aelita said and looked at Yumi and shrugged. "I guess they must just be busy. Let's skate just a little while longer and we'll try back." Yumi nodded in agreement and they both headed back out to skate a little while longer.

-m-

Milly and Tamiya changed quickly. Tamiya was gloating the whole time because she got to their room first. As soon as they got changed into their swimsuits, they headed down to the pool.

"You only won because I let you," Milly said and smiled. They both laughed.

"Yeah, right. I beat you easily." Milly rolled her eyes and Tamiya laughed.

"Whatever. It doesn't mean anything." They both laughed together and quickly walked toward the pool.

They arrived soon, and both grabbed a lawn chair on the platform by the lazy river. They placed down their towels, flip-flops, cell phones, and hid their money under Tamiya's towel and then headed to grab a tube to get into the lazy river.

"This is great, Milly. No one to bother us. No one to bug us to clean up or do our homework. Just me and you and these inner tubes. How much better can it get?" Tamiya asked and smiled, laying herself out on a tube. Milly smiled and nodded. "I mean sure I don't want to lie here forever, but this just feels nice right now, you know?"

"Yeah. I know what you mean. The water just feels really good, and I don't have to have a care in the world. I don't have to think about anything or anyone. I can just lay here and… relax." Milly sighed deeply and stretched her arms out.

They both leaned back and relaxed, just letting the current carry them around the area. Each of them didn't talk or hardly move for a while until they both actually fell asleep.

-m-

"Um, hey. You guys. Come on already," someone said and shook Milly's shoulder. "Hey, it's time for my break, and I can't have you floating around in the river."

Milly looked up and saw a teen boy with a short brown Mohawk standing in front of her. She pushed Tamiya and she woke up too. They both stared at him and didn't move. He rolled his eyes and expelled a deep breath. "Get out of the river. It's time for my break."

"Sorry," Milly said, and they rushed to get out. He looked as if she was the most annoying person he'd ever seen before.

"Gosh. People these days," Ayden said and rolled his eyes again. "I don't get paid to watch babies take naps on my break." Ian laughed and nodded.

Milly fumed and glared over at Ayden. "It's alright, Milly. He's just being stupid. All guys get that way eventually. Come on. Let's go get some drinks or something. Aren't you thirsty?" Milly continued to glare, but Tamiya was able to drag her away before she did anything too hasty.

"Yeah, sure," she mumbled and they headed over to grab some money and get a drink. They walked down the stairs to the snack bar and waited in line behind a few other people who were taking advantage of the break to get snacks and drinks themselves. "I just don't get it, Tamiya."

"Oh, Milly, just leave it," she said and sighed. "Just drop it."

"But, why? Why are we always considered babies?" Tamiya rolled her eyes as if to say here we go again. "I mean really. I'm 12. I'm not 7 or 8. I've got a boyfriend. I mean, well, we're not babies, Tamiya."

"Yeah, don't you think I know that?"

"Exactly! So, why does everyone insist on saying we are?"

"I don't know. It's probably just because they're older than us. He looked like 17 already. We're five years younger than him, so we look like babies. Does it really matter? I mean, it's not like we're ever going to want to hang out with that jerk anyway."

"That's not the point!" Milly insisted.

"So. Get over it, Milly," Tamiya continued. "Besides, we're at the front of the line. Just order a drink and we'll go back and talk or something. Just don't think about him, and have fun. We're supposed to be relaxing."

Milly sighed and nodded. "Fine. We'll order some drinks and then we'll just relax." She turned toward the lifeguard behind the drink stand and ordered a peach and lime sweeper, which was just sprite, peach juice, and a hint of lime, but sounded cool. That was the only reason she even got it. Tamiya shrugged and ordered a coke.

-m-

They finally lost them for good. That was when Ulrich pulled out his cell. "I'm going to call Yumi. Keep watch. Tell me if we have to go." Everyone nodded and started to keep watch. Yumi's phone rang three times before she answered. "Yumi? You called me?"

_"Yeah. I did. Thanks for calling back. You're a little late though. What have you been doing this whole time?"_

"Um…Odd and I have been over in the arcade."

_"They have an arcade here? Whatever. Wait have you been playing video games this whole time. Is that why you haven't answered your phone? Are you afraid you'd lose?"_

"No. No. That's not it. Well, not really. You see we've been playing laser tag, and you see we-."

_"Ohhhh. Laser tag. That's so much better. You've been playing it for three hours? Are you ever going to stop?"_

Ulrich was at a loss for words. He just stuttered and mumbled something into his phone.

_"So? Are you?"_

"Well, you see it's a huge game. I don't want to disappoint my team. Besides we met up with Hiroki and Johnny. Anyway, I didn't know you'd care. I thought you wouldn't mind. Why do you even care?"

_"I don't. Wait…my brother? Whatever. It's just I don't appreciate it when you don't answer my calls. That goes for Odd too. Anyway…I guess you guys can continue your game or whatever. I'll talk to you later." Yumi sighed and was about to hang up._

"Wait! Yumi!"

_"What?"_

"Do you want to meet up or something? We can hang out tonight if you want."

_"No. It's fine. Just go play your game. I'm sure it's more important."_

"Yumi! How about I meet you for dinner? We'll all meet up at the Chinese buffet. Then, we can talk and hang out together, ok?" Ulrich suggested.

"Ulrich! Someone's coming," Odd said and motioned toward a teen girl in green armor.

"Just take her out," Ulrich muttered to Odd.

_"Whatever. I see you're way into your game. I'll just leave you to it. I mean, I shouldn't have bothered you in the first place. I mean, we're going to go skiing together tomorrow anyway. I just shouldn't have bothered you. Just have fun."_

"Yumi! No. I'll meet you for dinner. Odd and I will. You and Aelita just show up around 7, and we'll all have dinner. Okay?"

"Ulrich!" Odd shouted at him. "She's got company." The teen girl now had a group of six other girls with her and they all raised their lasers at once to aim toward them. "We need to go."

_"Whatever. Just go. You're busy."_

"No, Yumi. Promise me you'll come to dinner."

"Ulrich…we need to go now," Odd urged.

_"Just play your game."_

"Promise me you'll come."

_"Fine. We'll both come to dinner. We'll see you around 7."_

"Thanks," Ulrich said and smiled. "We'll see you then." The girls started to come closer. "Bye, Yumi."

_"Bye."_

"Enough with the goodbyes already!" Hiroki shouted. "We're dead!" Both groups of people started shooting at the other group at the same time. Johnny did well enough to get two of the girls, both of the long blonde-haired ones. They both ran as soon as they got hit. Hiroki was hit next by some girl with magenta streaks in her brown hair. He turned and fled as well. Odd was able to get a short brunette. Johnny also got another young looking blonde. Both teams dodged in and out of trees and barriers. Ulrich got hit on the shoulder by the same magenta-haired girl who smirked as he fled the scene. It was then two against two. Odd and Johnny vs. the magenta-haired girl and a curly red head who was just lucky she hadn't got hit yet. Odd shot at her quickly and got her, but was soon hit by none other than the only girl with good aim. Johnny stood and faced her. She was a good half-head taller than him, but he tried not to let that bother him. They both shot their lasers at the same time, but Johnny barely got out of the way in time. The magenta-haired girl looked down at her chest light which flashed. Johnny smirked and she ran off to find the rest of her 'gang'.

"Great shot, Johnny!" Odd called as he came out after they had all gone. "Let's go check our stats." They all nodded in agreement and headed off to a checkpoint.

-m-

"We're going to a Chinese buffet with Odd and Ulrich tonight at seven," Yumi said as she hung up. "They've been playing laser tag the whole day, and Ulrich thinks Chinese food will make me happy. I'm not even Chinese!"

Aelita laughed. "It's alright, Yumi. Guys are stupid." Yumi smiled and nodded, and they both continued to skate.

**Review for a preview.  
Only a few more chapters until the skiing chapter.  
I promise the next chapter will be up soon too.  
The more reviews I get, the faster it'll go up!**


	37. Hidden Personalities and Messages

**OK, here's my next chapter.  
I was really dissapointed that I didn't get many review.  
Actually I just got one. :(  
Thanks.  
Well, as I said, review for a preview.  
Enjoy this installment and hopefully you'll like this one enough to review.  
;) please?  
This one's pretty long, so enjoy!**

**No Matter What They Say**

**Chapter 37: Hidden Personalities and Messages**

Yumi and Aelita took a seat at a booth in the back of the Chinese buffet. It was almost seven, and the waitress had already taken their drink orders. They were just waiting on Ulrich and Odd to show up. This was the only Chinese restaurant, so Yumi knew that they must be talking about this restaurant. Aelita and Yumi talked quietly together. The restaurant wasn't very crowded. There were a few other people sitting here and there. A lantern was sitting in the middle of their table, and the lights in the restaurant were low allowing the warm glow to surround the table. Their waitress came with their drinks and asked if they needed anything more. They both shook their heads and continued to talk as they waited for Ulrich and Odd to show up.

"Well, Yumi," Aelita said looking at the clock, "it's nearly seven. Do you want to start getting something to eat?"

Yumi sighed. "Why don't we give them a few minutes? It's still only 6:53. They have seven minutes. Let's wait at least until seven."

Aelita nodded. They continued to talk, and went over their day as well as talked about how much fun tomorrow would be. "I remember when I was little, I used to go skiing. I can't really remember it all that well, but I know I went once or twice," Aelita said and thought back. "This should be interesting to see how well I do."

Yumi smiled. "I'm pretty good. I've been multiple times. I'm just worried about Ulrich, what with his vertigo and all."

"Yeah, I know what you mean. Hopefully, Ulrich will do fine. Well, at least you'll be there to help if he ever needs it." Aelita smiled. Yumi rolled her eyes and blushed slightly.

"Was there a hint of double meaning in that?"

Aelita laughed and Yumi smiled. "Take it as you will," she said and they both laughed. "So, who's coming again?"

"Um, well, there was me and you, obviously. And, Odd and Ulrich. And, you also invited Jared, so he's coming. I think Hiroki, Johnny, Milly, and Tamiya are coming too, although they may not stay with us the entire time. Oh, and I promised Sissi that she could go, so she's coming and possibly her lifeguard friend who she seams to be hanging out with all the time. I think that's it, right?"

"That's what I thought, but something, I don't know. I guess, I just, I don't know. I feel like we should invite Jeremie."

Yumi raised an eyebrow at her. "Jeremie? I thought you were upset with him. Aren't you?"

"Well, yeah, but oh, I don't know. I don't want to hold a grudge this entire time."

"Well, if you want to bring him, that's fine, but do you think Odd will mind? I mean, I think he's already a little upset with Jared tagging along, let alone Jeremie."

Aelita looked skeptically at Yumi. "Odd said he was fine with Jared coming. Why wouldn't he be ok with Jared? He's not still mad about that, is he?"

Yumi just shrugged and looked at the clock again.

"I'll ask him when he gets here," Aelita said and looked toward the buffet.

"It's 7:04. Do you think they're just a little late?" Yumi asked hopefully.

Aelita shrugged. "I don't know, but I'm getting hungry. We only had a pretzel for lunch. Can't we just get something to eat while we wait? I mean, I'm just as disappointed as you, but can't we be disappointed and eat at the same time?"

Yumi rolled her eyes and smiled at Aelita. "Yeah, sure. Why not?" Aelita smiled back at her, and they both headed up to the buffet.

-m-

"Odd, we've got to go!" Ulrich shouted again for the tenth time or so. "Yumi and Aelita'll be pissed if we're late and we've only got ten minutes until we're supposed to be there."

"Yeah, yeah. So you keep telling me," Odd said and lasered another Gorghee in the back. "We've got them. We can't just stop now!"

Ulrich sighed deeply and ran after Odd and the others. Soon, the Gorghees they had been following disappeared, and Odd, Hiroki, and Johnny stopped to catch their breath. "We've got to go, Odd," Ulrich insisted. He started to take off his armor so he wouldn't be a target for anyone who might pass by.

"Oh, come on, Ulrich, we've got 10 minutes," Odd stated and looked around to make sure no one was in sight.

"Odd! We've got less than 8 now. Besides, do you really want to make Aelita mad again?" Ulrich looked at him and raised his eyebrows. Odd stared back for a few seconds as he thought about it. Aelita's face came back to him. He thought of the one he remembered when she yelled at him to let her go as he carried her back to his room over his shoulder, the one he remembered when he got mad at her for liking Jared, the one that always came when Jeremie happened to do something stupid and inconsiderate. He recalled them all. "Or, worse. Do you want Aelita to be sad again because we showed up late?" Odd thought again this time about Aelita being sad. Her face immediately flew into his mind. The one where she was crying on him at Yumi's, the one where Artemis was torturing her, the one where she was crying over Jeremie not making it to her music video shot, the other times where Jeremie would ignore her to work on a Xana project, and she would cry, although she thought that no one noticed.

He shook his head quickly and started taking off his armor. "Let's get going. I don't want to upset Aelita again." Ulrich nodded as if to say 'that's better', and they quickly said goodbye to Hiroki and Johnny, and headed to put up their armor so they could head to dinner.

-m-

"Yumi, don't be too disappointed. They're only a few minutes late," Aelita said reassuringly.

"I know, Lita. I assumed as much anyway. I knew that they'd get wrapped up in their stupid video games. Whatever. It doesn't matter." Yumi stared angrily at her egg roll and took a sip of her water.

"It does matter. It matters to both of us, but I'm sure they'll be here in a minute or two. Maybe it's a ways away from here and they're on their way right now," Aelita said hopefully and took a bite of her chicken. "They're just running a little behind schedule."

"What are you talking about, Lita? Odd has no schedule!" Yumi shouted angrily. People from around the room looked over, and Yumi lowered her voice. "You better get used to this kind of stuff!" Tears welled up in Aelita's eyes at the thought of going through the same thing with Odd as she had just gone through with Jeremie. Yumi noticed and changed her tone dramatically. "Oh, I'm sorry. I-I didn't mean it like that, Aelita. It's, I mean…."

"Yeah, I know. Odd doesn't run by a schedule," she whispered and took another bite of chicken. "Some dinner." Yumi sighed as if to agree. "And, to think, I was actually looking foreword to this."

"Maybe, they'll still show up," Yumi encouraged. "Like you said, maybe, they're just running a little late."

Aelita shrugged and continued eating. She looked up at the clock. "It's 7:20 already." Yumi glanced up at the clock as if by just looking for herself, it might somehow not be true. As she recognized that it indeed was true, she turned back to her food and continued to eat.

-m-

"So, Sissi, was there anything else you wanted to do here?" he asked as they both exited the lazy river. "I mean, I have been off for over an hour and a half now. We can leave whenever you want."

"Um, I don't think there's anything else. Where did your friends go? Did you need to meet up someplace with them?" she asked, looking around for them.

"Ayden and Ian left a while ago. They always leave around 6. They usually go down to one of the teen bars and get drunk or they go and find some chicks, I mean girls, to eat dinner with. It doesn't usually take long for them to find someone. Ayden's not too picky. As long as it's a girl and she's not too ugly, he'll have dinner with her. Same with Ian. They shouldn't be back to the room until late. Maybe they'll be back around 11. Sometimes 9 if their dates weren't fun." Kiptyn walked Sissi toward her lounge chair. She picked up her shirt and looked around again. She couldn't see anyone she really knew.

"And, what about Oliver? Is he still here?"

Ayden looked around, but couldn't seem to find him. "I don't think so. Why? Did you want to do something with him?"

"Oh, I don't know. I just thought you might want to hang out with some of your friends, especially since you've been hanging out with me all day," she said and looked around again. "Oh! There he is!" she stated, pointing over toward a lounge chair a little ways away. He appeared to be asleep. "Do you want to see if he wants to come and do something with us?"

Kiptyn looked around awkwardly and scratched the back of his head. "Yeah, um, sure. We can see if he wants to come along." They headed over, and it turned out that Oliver was actually asleep. They shook him awake.

"Hey, guys," he yawned as he brushed the hair back out of his face and then shook his head so that it all fell back again. "What time is it?"

"It's around 6:15. Sissi wanted to know if you wanted to come do something with us. So, do you?" Kiptyn gave him a smile, but it looked awkward and made it hard for Oliver to keep a strait face.

"Sure, I'd love to go do something," he said and got up. He grabbed his shirt and quickly threw it on.

"Alright. That's great," Sissi said with a smile. She looked over at Kiptyn who seemed to be a little upset. "You alright, Kiptyn?"

Kiptyn shook his head out of a gaze and looked over toward Sissi. He immediately blushed, and Oliver tried to hold in his laughter again. He nodded, and Sissi shrugged.

"Alright, so what did you want to do?" Sissi asked. Both Kiptyn and Oliver looked at her with eyebrows raised. "What? I thought you'd decide. I don't want to tell you guys what to do. I just thought I'd go along for the ride."

"Well, I thought you had something in mind," Kiptyn muttered. "How bout we go get something to eat?"

"How about Kilimanjava? Have you been there yet?" Oliver asked Sissi. She raised an eyebrow and shook her head. "It's this great Coffee house and it's got this great African theme and everything. You know, like Kilimanjaro, the mountain? It's really good too."

"Sounds fine to me," Sissi said. "Who knew this resort would have so many varieties of places to eat. What kind of food is there anyway?"

"Oh, all kinds. There are a lot of different kinds of sandwiches and fruits. There is coffee, tea, and juices to drink. There are also different kinds of soups and a few chicken dinners and other meats. Some are really strange though. There are pastas and rice too. It's really a cool place. They have trees around the room, and the walls are painted to look like the African Sahara. They painted elephants, giraffes, and other animals on the walls. The ceiling looks cool too because it's painted to look like the sky, and there are birds on it too," Oliver continued. His eyes were glowing as if this was the best thing he's ever had before. "It's like no place you've ever seen before."

Sissi stared at him wide-eyed. "That's the most I've heard you talk. Ever. Kiptyn, we've got to eat there. If it get's Oliver so excited, it's bound to be good."

Kiptyn shrugged. "I've been there before. It's not bad. It's pretty good. Oliver's into organic stuff like they sell there. Besides, every day around 7, they have this performance with all of the waitresses and waiters doing some tribal dance or something. He seems to really like that." Oliver blushed and muttered some excuse to leave. It was something about needing to go turn in his clipboard or something.

"Oliver doesn't look like one of those types of people. I would have thought he'd be one of those, well, emo people. I mean, if you look at him, he's got the hair and outfit," Sissi said as she watched him leave. "Plus, he normally is mysterious and quietish. I wouldn't think he'd like anything to do with tribal dances."

"Yeah, he is quiet. I mean, around other people, not Ayden and me, but you know what I mean. He usually doesn't open up too much. I'm surprised he even suggested a restaurant or wanted to hang out with us. Now, I don't know if I would define him as _emo_, but I can see where you're coming from."

"Does he have a girlfriend?" Sissi asked curiously.

"No. He's too quiet," Kiptyn said with a sigh. "We try to get him to ask someone out, but he's either too shy, or he says she's 'not right for him'. He's always saying that. I feel bad for him sometimes. I feel like he's always by himself."

"Yeah, I know what you mean. He's always by himself," she agreed.

"Don't mention that I said that about him. He may be quiet, but he'd kill me if he knew I said that."

"Ok, I promise I won't say anything," Sissi said and they both continued with small talk until Oliver returned and they headed off toward the restaurant.

-m-

"They're not coming, are they?" Aelita mumbled, interrupting Yumi mid-sentence. Tears were just starting to form in her eyes and Yumi didn't know what to say.

She couldn't think of anything to do that would really help. So, she did the best she could. She lied. "I'm sure they're just tied up. Like you said, they'll be here in a few minutes."

Aelita shook her head. "No. It's been 25 minutes."

"They'll be here." Yumi looked over toward the entrance of the restaurant as if by some miracle they would be standing there looking for them. "I'm going to go get another plate of food. I'll be right back."

"Yeah, ok," Aelita muttered and pushed her rice back and forth on her plate.

-m-

"Odd! This is no time to stop and go to the restroom! We're already late as it is!" Ulrich yelled as Odd motioned that he was going to stop.

"Well, I don't think you want me to pee myself, now do you?" Odd said as he rushed into the bathroom at the arcade.

"Yumi's going to kill me!" Ulrich shouted as he leaned against the wall outside to wait for Odd.

-m-

"I'll take your chicken rice bowl without pees," Sissi said to the waiter. "Oh, and can I have fries as my side?"

"Um, sure," the waiter said and looked at her strangely because no one usually gets the fries. "And, what about you?"

"I'll take your kili-sandwich, and for my side, I'd like a mixed fruit bowl," Oliver said and smiled up at the waiter who nodded and looked toward Kiptyn.

"I'll have the chicken breast dinner with the specialty noodles as the side," he said.

"Yeah, ok. On the chicken do you want the peanut sauce or the house special?" the waiter asked.

Kiptyn shrugged and looked at Oliver. "Get the special," he stated, and Kiptyn went with his decision. The waiter nodded and went to put in their orders.

"It's already 7," Sissi said. "When do they do the-?"

"And now, it's time for the waiters and waitresses to do the tribal dance!" a head waiter projected.

"-dance?" Sissi finished.

"I guess that answers that question," Kiptyn said and laughed. Oliver looked over toward the back of the restaurant and watched wide-eyed as the waitresses and waiters got situated and the music came on. They all danced for around five minutes, and by the end, they all looked really tired. As the music was turned off, everyone in the restaurant applauded and then went back to their eating.

"That was interesting," Sissi said and took another sip of her juice. "This place isn't too bad so far. I'm going to go use the restroom before our food comes."

As soon as she was gone, Kiptyn got Oliver's attention. "Hey, what do I do?"

"What do you mean, what do you do? About what?"

"Oh, you know. About Sissi!"

"What about her?" Oliver asked and raised an eyebrow at Kiptyn.

"God, do I have to spell everything out to you. What do I do? Is this a date or what? Should I do something?"

"I don't know. Do you like her?"

Kiptyn scratched the back of his head awkwardly and blushed slightly. "Well, yeah. I mean, I don't know. Well, yes, but I don't know if I should."

"Well, why not?"

"You know!" Kiptyn said exasperatedly. "She's only 14, remember? I don't know if she's too young or whatever. I mean, she's young, but is she too young. Am I taking advantage of her? What if she thinks I'm taking advantage of her? Or, what if she thinks I'm just a friend? Or what if I'm being stupid and going way too fast?"

"Kip, be calm. You never have this much trouble with girls."

"I know, I know, but she's different. You know?"

"Not really."

"Oh, right," he muttered awkwardly, "but, still. You can imagine. I don't think I've ever felt like this before. What do I do? Hold her hand? Is that too childish? Should I kiss her? Ugh, it's too soon for that, isn't it? Well, what if I just invite her to a movie or something? Is that too cliché?"

"Stop worrying," Oliver stated. "Ride the situation out. You'll make the right decision."

"You're right," he said confidently. "I'll think of something."

"Sorry, I took so long," Sissi said as she took her seat. "There was a huge line in the bathroom. So, what'd I miss?"

"Nothing really," Kiptyn said and smiled at her.

-m-

"This rice is really good," Yumi said and took another bite. Aelita was staring down at her plate without really eating anything. That was when Odd and Ulrich quickly came up to their table, slightly out of breath.

"Hey, Yumi. Hey, Aelita," Ulrich started to say. "Sorry we're late."

Aelita looked up at Odd and Ulrich and glared. "Don't say sorry. Show up on time."

"We would have been here on time, it's just that…," Ulrich started, but stopped as he noticed Yumi scowling.

"Don't give excuses. You said you'd be here at 7," Yumi said. "It's 7:30. Now, five minutes isn't too bad, but a half an hour is ridiculous!"

"Yumi, I'm sor-," Ulrich started, but stopped himself. "I'll try to be here on time next time. Odd and I'll just go get some food, and we'll come back and eat with you guys."

"Well," Yumi started, "better late than never."

"No," Aelita said and took a pause. "It's not better late than never. I'm sick of people not showing up for things. I'm sick of people who don't keep promises. You guys can eat, but I'm not hungry anymore. I'll be leaving. I'll see you tomorrow," she said and slid out of the booth. "That is, if you decide to show up on time." She glared once more and walked away out the restaurant.

"Aelita!" Odd called after her, but she kept walking. He had noticed the tears forming in her eyes. He hated it more than anything, and he didn't want it to be a regular occurrence. "I've got to go talk to her," Odd said to the others and then headed out after her.

-m-

"Aelita! Wait!" Odd called after her. She continued walking away as if she hadn't heard him. "Aelita, I'm sorry. I really wanted to show up on time. I really did."

She turned around abruptly. "Then, why didn't you?" Her eyes were filled with tears. She wiped them quickly away. "Huh? Why didn't you?"

"I lost track of time, and I was caught up in the game, and then I had to…"

Tears came flowing out of her eyes. "And all of those things are important to you. I understand. I come second. I get it." She turned away from him so he wouldn't see her cry.

"No, Aelita, it's not that at all," Odd said quietly. He turned her around and tried to pull her into a hug. She shook him off forcefully, and started to walk quickly away. "Aelita, stop. Just wait for me to-."

She cut him off. "That's all I've been doing! I've been waiting for you, Odd. You know what? I'm sick of waiting for everyone!"

"Aelita, I'm sorry. I don't know what I was thinking. I guess, I just wasn't thinking at all. I never think. I just, well, I thought I had more time than I did, and then I was late. I don't want to make you wait any longer. We can do whatever you want. Really. We can," he said. She still hadn't turned around.

"Why don't you go eat? Why don't you just leave me again and go back and eat?"

"Because, Aelita, I don't want to leave you again. I'm really sorry, and I didn't want to make you upset. I didn't mean to make you upset." He contemplated turning her around again, but decided against it. "I want to make it up to you."

"Just go eat!"

"I don't want to."

"You always want to eat."

"Not if it means that I'm going to leave you again. You're more important than that. I don't want to make you upset."

"Just leave already," she muttered. "You're going to have to eat sometime."

"Nope. I'm not going to leave you until you forgive me and are happy again. I'm not going to stop to eat or anything," he promised. "I want you to be happy again because I hate to see you cry."

She wiped her eyes and turned around slowly. "You really mean all of that?"

"Yeah. I hate to see you cry, I want you to be happy, and I never meant to hurt you."

She couldn't help but crack a smile. She ran into his arms and wrapped her arms around him. "Thanks, Odd." He kissed the top of her head. "But, don't make this a habit. I don't want to have to wait for everyone to see if they're even going to show up."

"I promise, princess," he said and she smiled and pulled herself into him. "Now, what do you want to do?"

"I don't know. I don't really want to do anything," she muttered. "I hadn't had anything planned for the rest of the night."

"Well, if you think of something, just tell me," Odd said and pulled out of the hug. "What did you do with Yumi today?"

"Oh, we went ice skating," Aelita said and smiled. "It was really fun, but Yumi wasn't very good." She laughed.

"That sound fun."

"Yeah," she said and smiled again. "I know how much you love ice skating. It was really fun."

"Well, that's good. I'm glad you had a good time today. I guess you must have done fairly well since you're not wet," he said and smiled.

"Yeah, I only fell down once or twice and that was because Yumi dragged me down with her," Aelita said and laughed again. Odd's stomach growled and he quickly wrapped his arms around his stomach to muffle the noise. "You know, you don't have to starve yourself. We can go get something to eat."

"No, it's my fault I was late. I missed dinner," he said and muffled another growl from his stomach. She laughed again.

"Seriously, Odd, we can go get some food. I know that you won't be late again. We can seriously get some food because there's no sense denying the fact that you're hungry."

"We can go wherever you want. I don't care. If you don't want to go eat something, we can go someplace else. If you want to be by yourself, that's fine with me too. We can always hang out tomorrow," he said with a smile.

"Oh, about tomorrow. Can we invite someone else?"

"Yeah sure. Who did you have in mind?"

"Jeremie," she murmured.

"What?" Odd shouted shocked at what she had said. "Jeremie? I thought you were mad at him."

"Well, I was, but I figure that this has gone on long enough, and that we have got to become friends again sometime or other seeing as he's the only one of us that knows how to fully operate the supercomputer."

"Now, you know that you can work that without him."

"Yeah, but still. I don't want to be enemies with Jeremie any longer," she stated firmly.

"Fine, invite him. Call him up."

"You sure you're not upset that I'm inviting him?"

"Yeah," Odd said with a smile. "Whatever makes you happy is fine with me." She gave him a big smile.

"Thanks, Odd," she said and pulled out her phone to call him.

-m-

"So, you see, we would have been here five minutes earlier, if not ten or twenty, if Odd would have left the first time I told him we needed to leave," Ulrich said as he continued to eat.

"Yeah, I know what you mean. Odd really doesn't think about time too much. I just hope Aelita's not too mad at him," Yumi said and smiled. "I don't want to have a feud on our hands while we're skiing tomorrow."

"Right, and you're sure I have to go skiing?" Ulrich persisted.

"Yes. You have to go. It'll be fun. I'll be with you the whole time. Nothing bad can happen to you. I promise," she said and took his hand in hers. "You won't be all by yourself."

"Yeah I know. I just hope I don't freak out."

"I'll be right there the whole time," Yumi said and Ulrich's eyebrow twitched as he caught a hint of double meaning in her words.

**Well, I hope you liked it.  
Please review!  
Review for a preview of the next chapter.  
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;)**


	38. Ambitions

**I hope you enjoy this next installment.  
I feel as if this story is getting better and better.  
I hope you feel the same way.  
The only thing I don't understand is why I am not recieving more than one review per chapter.  
I do have story stats you know and they tell me that 37 or more are reading each chapter.  
Some chapters get a lot more than that.  
So, why is it that no one reviews?  
Review for a preview of the next chapter.  
***Bonus: I'll give you an extra piece of the next chapter if you can tell me a good anime to watch.*****

**No Matter What They Say**

**Chapter 38: Ambitions **

"Hey, guys," Aelita said as she and Odd came back and sat down at their table. "Sorry I ran out like that."

"It's fine," Ulrich said quickly. "I'm sorry we were late. I didn't really expect you to come back, but I'm glad you did."

"Yeah, I didn't really expect to come back either, but Odd's stomach was growling so loud, I had to." Everyone laughed as they saw Odd up at the buffet, piling his plate high with various foods. "While I have your attention, I'd like to mention that Jeremie will be joining us for skiing tomorrow. I also called Sissi, and she said that she'd love to come and that she'd bring her lifeguard friend."

Ulrich's mouth dropped open. "Ok, two things I want to know. One: why are you inviting Jeremie? I thought you guys were mad at each other. Two: since when can Sissi keep a guy as a friend?"

"Well, I'm not sure about the answer to your Sissi question, but I invited Jeremie because I don't want to be mad this entire trip." Aelita grabbed her glass and took a sip of her drink. "I guess I just want to get over everything."

"That's good," Yumi said and smiled. "I guess everything is set then."

-m-

"Kiptyn, I'm inviting you to come skiing with me," Sissi said with a smile as she finished up her dinner. "One of my friends just called, and she said that we're going skiing tomorrow, and she asked if I wanted to invite you along. So, do you want to come?"

_What do I say? I don't actually have to work tomorrow. I am free. And, just picture it: a whole ski lift ride with Sissi all to myself. Snap out of it, Kip. She's 14 remember? What would you do? Kiss her? Doesn't she just think of you as a friend anyway? But, what's the harm in skiing? There's nothing wrong with that. Besides, we'd be with her friends too. We'd have a good time. Some good clean fun would be all, and then we'd come back and part. It's not anything special, but how come somewhere deep inside of me I wish that it was something special. _"Yeah, that sounds like fun," he said and smiled. "What time and where do I meet you?"

"That's great! We're all meeting at the ski rental shop at 8:30. Make sure you've had breakfast before you get there. Oh, this'll be great! You'll get to meet all of my friends, and…."

He started to tune her out as she began to ramble on. _She's really pretty when she's excited. I wonder if she knows that. I wonder if anyone has told her she's beautiful. Does she know that when she gets excited, she gets this twinkle in her eyes and they shine brighter? How much longer can I stand this without telling her how I feel?_

"…and you can meet Yumi's little brother too, he's kind of annoying sometimes, but still, I'm sure he's going. Well, and there's a few more, but I'm sure you won't remember all of these names, so I'll re-introduce you to them when you meet them tomorrow."

Oliver yawned from across the table. "Oh, I'm sorry, Oliver," Sissi started, "I didn't ask if you could come."

"It's fine. Skiing's not my thing anyway." He started around the room, glancing from table to table.

"Oh, are you sure? I mean I could call my friends up again. There are a lot of us, so I'm sure you'd find someone you'd want to talk with or something. It should be really fun. If you want to come, I'm sure it would be alright," Sissi said and smiled awkwardly.

"No, I'm fine," he said and gave a small smile.

"Ok, then. Well, I'm finished with dinner. Do you want to go do something?" she asked and looked back and forth between Kiptyn and Oliver.

"Well, I don't know about you, but if I'm going to have to get up early enough to meet you guys at 8:30, than I'm going to need a good night sleep, and it's already 8:45. If you want to do something, don't make it take too long," Kiptyn said, and Sissi agreed. They all got up and they each paid for their meal.

"Do you want to go take a walk or something?" Sissi asked.

"You mean outside?" Kiptyn asked skeptically. "You do remember that you're wearing a swimsuit, right?"

Sissi looked down at herself and laughed. "Oh, that's right. I guess I'd better go back to your room and change."

"Are you going to need to spend the night again?" Kiptyn asked.

"No, I don't think so. I'll just change, and be on my way. That is, unless you want to do something." Kiptyn shrugged. "What about you, Oliver? Did you want to do something?"

"Whatever you'd like to do," he muttered as they walked back toward their room.

They got back soon and Sissi went in and changed quickly. Then, Kiptyn decided to walk her to her room. Oliver decided to stay back. "I hope you had a good day today," Kiptyn said and smiled.

"Other than nearly drowning, it was pretty good," Sissi said and smiled back.

"Yeah, sorry about that," he said and gave an encouraging smile. "At least, you didn't drown."

"Yeah. Thanks. You know, Oliver sure doesn't talk much. I know what you mean about him not making decisions too. He's still welcome to go skiing even if that isn't his thing."

"He likes to ski, but I don't think he'll go."

"I don't get it! Why did he say it's not his thing, if he likes to ski?"

"He's just reserved. I don't think he wanted to hang out with all of your friends. I guess he would have felt a little awkward with everyone there, especially since he doesn't really make friends too easily or open up very much."

Sissi smiled. "I guess today was a rarity when he suggested a place for dinner. I think Oliver's pretty good friends with me though, isn't he? He does talk with me."

"Yeah, I guess, but not much. He talks with me a lot, and then Ayden. I'm guessing you'd be third on his list, which is real surprising since he's only known you for a day and a half or so." Kiptyn shrugged. "You're just a likable person, I guess." Sissi laughed a little.

"I guess so." They arrived at her room, and she opened the door. No one was inside. "You can come in if you want. There's no one here. We can talk or watch some TV for a little while if you want before you go back to your room if you want."

_I shouldn't stay. I shouldn't stay. I shouldn't stay. I shouldn't stay. I shouldn't stay. I shouldn't stay. I want to stay. I want to stay. I shouldn't stay. I shouldn't stay. DO NOT ENTER! _"Um, maybe for just a little while." _Idiot! I told you don't enter! DON'T Stay! Change your mind! _They walked in, and she turned the TV on to some random show.

"So, I'm glad you're coming tomorrow. It'll be really fun," she smiled and turned her attention toward the television.

_Tell her. Tell her. Tell her. Tell her. You came in the room. The least you can do is buck up the courage to tell her how you feel about her because you obviously like her. If you don't tell her, it'll just get more awkward tomorrow. _"Yeah, I hope so. I haven't been skiing in a while."

"You live here, and you don't ski? How am I supposed to believe that?" she asked him as she raised an eyebrow.

"I'm more of a lifeguard, so I don't really have time to ski that much." _Why aren't you telling her? _

"Oh, well, I guess that's reasonable," she said and looked back toward the television. "I probably wouldn't have time if I had a job either." She gave him a large smile and his heart started pounding. He leaned in a little closer, but stopped himself quickly and made some reference to the television show that they weren't really watching.

"So, how many of your friends did you say were coming?" he asked as to lighten the atmosphere a little.

"Oh, don't worry. There'll be a lot of us," she said and paused to count on her fingers. "I think there's 12 of us altogether including me and you. Don't worry, there's guys coming too. It won't just be you with a bunch of girls, regardless of how much you might want it that way." They both laughed together and continued to talk.

-m-

"Johnny, I'm getting hungry, and according to that clock over there, it's 8:35. Do you think we can stop now?" Hiroki asked as he ran away from a group of Gorghees with Johnny running ahead of him.

"Yeah, sure. Let's head toward the safety zone and remove our armor so they won't shoot at us." They did as Johnny suggested and turned in their gear. As they turned it in, the lady behind the counter gave them their scores and ranks as of then. Hiroki was a 2nd Croj, and Johnny had passed up Crojean 2 and gone straight to Alpha Croha.

"How do you do it?" Hiroki asked Johnny when he heard her give out ranks. "How did you get so many points?"

"I don't know. I guess I am just a lucky shot. I think that there are various objects that give you points because I shot a lot of stuff just for fun," Johnny said and smiled at his accomplishment.

"Oh, it seems as if one of you has one a place on our leader board," the lady said as she pulled up the leader screen on her computer. "Xi has placed 13th on our top twenty for the day. Congratulations."

"Sweet!" Johnny shouted.

Just about the same time, Hiroki asked, "Does he get anything for it?"

The lady laughed and dug through her drawers. "As a matter of fact, yes. Xi receives a 25 dollar gift certificate for our gift shop, a 20 dollar gift certificate for the arcade's snack bar, and if he can keep in the top twenty for the rest of the week, his name will go down on our wall of leaders." Hiroki and Johnny cheered as she gave them the certificates. "Oh, how old are you?" she asked as she looked at Johnny. Immediately, Johnny and Hiroki got worried. "No, you're not in trouble. Can you tell me your birthday?"

"September 23, 1998," Johnny said waveringly. "I still get the gift cards, right?"

She laughed and nodded. "Of course you do. I'm just checking something," she muttered as she typed into her computer and her face lit up. "This is exactly what I thought. I thought you looked young. I'd like to inform you that the record for the youngest to reach the top twenty leader board was a boy just a little younger than yourself, so you, unfortunately, did not qualify for that, but the youngest to reach it to the top ten, was exactly 4 months older than you. That means, if you can reach within the top ten, you'll be our youngest, and you'll be put in our record books."

"Do you know what this means, Johnny!" Hiroki asked. "You'll be on that wall in the lobby. The one with all of the record holders!"

Johnny's eyes widened. "That's amazing!"

The lady from behind the counter smiled. "There's just one catch. Although your scores are kept in tack every day, just like you will be an Alpha Croha tomorrow, our top twenty change from day to day. What I mean is that the top twenty is only for the score you get while playing that day. If you want to place in the top ten, your best bet will be to continue tonight. If you stop, you'll have to start all over tomorrow. Sorry. There are multiple high scores you can receive. The record that you almost qualify for is just for the single day score, not for the week score. The record for the week score is way higher than your score. You're only around 145th on that board. So, what would you like to do: continue playing or try again tomorrow?"

"Well, can we eat and come back?" Johnny asked.

"Yes. Our scores stop at midnight. The only thing is that, as you are eating other players could pass you up. You're welcome to go eat though if that is what you want to do."

Hiroki and Johnny discussed quickly and decided to go get a quick meal and then return to try and get Johnny onto the top ten.

-m-

"This dinner didn't turn out too bad after all," Yumi said as they all walked back toward their rooms. "I mean, it could have turned out better, but it wasn't a complete disaster."

They all nodded. "I can't wait for tomorrow," Aelita said with a big smile. "I can't remember the last time I went skiing. I don't even know how well I'll do, but it's always exciting to have a new experience."

"Don't worry, Lita. We'll all help you," Yumi said and gave her an encouraging smile.

"Ok, they might help you, but I doubt if I'll even be able to help myself," Ulrich said and gave an awkward smile. "I'm probably going to die."

"Don't say that. Of course you won't die!" Yumi insisted. "We'll all be there to help both of you."

"Joy. I definitely want Sissi to be helping me," Ulrich said sarcastically. "I hate it when she clings all over me."

"Don't worry about that. I already told you that she'll be occupied. She's got that lifeguard friend of hers coming with her," Yumi said, still trying to insist that Ulrich would have a good time.

"Yeah, I know, but he's just a friend to her, and I'm her 'Ulrich darling'. Bleh. I hate it when she calls me that."

"Oh, don't worry, Ulrich, because we'll make sure you're always occupied doing something else," Odd said with a subtle hint of double meaning. Ulrich rolled his eyes.

They reached their rooms and all four of them agreed that they should get some rest before the next day. They all said their goodbyes and agreed that if the were awake in time, they'd meet for breakfast at Aunt Butterby's at 6. Whoever was awake in time could come. Aelita rolled her eyes and everyone laughed when Odd said that he'd be there. Then, Ulrich and Odd disappeared into their room and Yumi turned to open their own door. She opened it and entered to see Sissi sitting on her bed with what must have been her lifeguard friend. He looked much older than Yumi expected him to be. He looked to be around 3 inches taller than herself.

"Hey, Sissi, who's this?" Yumi asked as she walked in. Kiptyn turned around quickly and blushed slightly.

"Oh, Yumi, this is Kiptyn," Sissi said with a smile. "Kiptyn, this is Yumi." She motioned toward her. "And, this is Aelita." Aelita waved politely and smiled. "They're my roommates. They'll be two of the ones skiing with us tomorrow."

"Nice to meet you both," he said and stood up. He smiled politely and scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "I'd better be going though, seeing as we're getting up so early tomorrow. I'll see you, Sissi."

He headed toward the door and as he left Aelita mentioned where they were meeting for breakfast if he wanted to come. He nodded to say that he heard and quickly continued to leave.

"How old is he?" Yumi asked as soon as he had closed the door. "He must be at least two years older than you. Heck, he looks two years older than me, and I'm a year older than you. What are you thinking? Does he know that you're in 8th grade?"

"Ok, for one, I'm in 9th grade now, and two who cares how old he is," Sissi said angrily. "You're not my mom, Ishiyama."

"So, he does know. How'd he take it?"

Sissi sighed. "He said we can be _good friends_, whatever that means. I didn't know he was that much older than I was."

"So, exactly how old is he?" Yumi asked and raised her eyebrow. "15? 16?"

"He's closer to 17 than 16 to be truthful," she said and buried her face in her hands. "I don't know how my dad would take any of this." She pulled her head up sharply. "You both better not say a word, or tell him exactly how much fun you've been having with Ulrich."

"I wasn't going to say anything," Yumi said and sat down on the bed next to her. "He does look cute, doesn't he?"

"Yeah, I'll say. He's really nice too. While you guys locked me out of our room, he invited me to stay the night in his room with his two roommates, one of which is way better than the other, I might add."

"So, that's where you were!" Yumi said. "I'm glad you weren't in the lobby at least."

"Yeah, well, at least he offered me a room," Sissi mumbled, "or I would have been. Well, anyway, he's coming skiing tomorrow, and I don't want either of you or Odd to mess things up for me. If you're lucky, Ishiyama, you'll get Ulrich all to yourself. I'm hoping that this 'let's be good friends' thing will only be temporary."

"So, you want him to ask you out?" Aelita asked as she slipped on her pajamas.

"Well, obviously, he's hot and nice, unlike some other people in my life. I mean I'd much rather date him than anyone else I know. I mean, who'd want to date someone like Odd or Herve or Nicholas? I mean, really?" Aelita instantly turned beat-red, but tried to laugh it off and smile. "Anyway, I was hoping that he'd ask me out yesterday, but that didn't work, and then I was hoping for today, but that didn't happen either. If I play my moves right, maybe he'll ask me tomorrow."

"Maybe," Aelita said quietly and quickly pulled the covers of her bed over her before Sissi or Yumi could get a good look at her arms which were still covered with bruises. Yumi and Sissi got ready for bed, and all three were asleep in less than a half an hour later.

-m-

William and Jeremie were walking through the lobby. They were coming back from dinner together. Jeremie was a little annoyed by William because of another myriad amount of questions that William had asked at the meal. He was getting fed up with his stupidity. Jeremie was walking quickly as to get back to their room before William asked another stupid question. William was walking slowly and got distracted as the news came on one of the televisions in the lobby. _"We interrupt your normal evening news with a special report. If you can give your attention, we go to Nick Spahmann for the report. Nick."_

"Jeremie! There's a special report on the television. We're supposed to give our attention."

Jeremie rolled his eyes and kept walking. "Those always come on. They're not important."

_"Thanks, Dan. I'm here with a special report that a storm seams to be blowing throughout the northern area. Winds have been reaching up to 50 miles per hour."_

"Jeremie, there's a storm!"

"William, I told you already. These things happen all the time. It'll probably just blow over." Jeremie continued to walk, and William was faced with a decision to follow or stay tuned to the news broadcast. Jeremie had already turned the corner.

_"This should provide a heavy amount of rain, and in certain areas, snow. By mid-morning, this part should be seeing the worst, and by midday, up in the mountains, they should be receiving a lot of snow and wind. For anyone who is up there, I'd recommend that you…."_ William quickly decided to follow him rather than get left behind and hurried off.

**Well, as I said at the top: Review for a preview.  
***Bonus: you will get an extra piece of the next chapter if you can tell me a good anime to watch. (it can be online)***  
Thanks. I appreciate (and can't spell) the reviews.  
:)**


	39. Cloudy With a Chance of Laser Tag

**Well, here's the next chapter.  
It's the last one before they go on their ski trip.  
Yay!  
Well, sorry about the cheesy title.  
I asked my little sister what I should name it (I had writer's block),  
and she told me this title.  
So, I don't own anything to do with Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs.  
In fact I haven't even seen it.  
I also don't own Code Lyoko.  
I only own my OCs and the plot line.  
Enjoy!  
Review for a Preview!**

**No Matter What They Say**

**Chapter 39: Cloudy with a Chance of Laser Tag**

"Do you think you made it yet?"

"I can't tell," Johnny said as he and Hiroki chased after a group of Gorghees. Johnny shot the two on the right and Hiroki got one in the center. "I don't know how many points these guys are worth, and besides, I don't know how many points I need." They continued to run after them. There was still one boy and one girl who they hadn't shot yet. They turned quickly around the corner, but lost them.

"Well, I guess you'll have to find others to get," Hiroki said as he turned to look around. "Whatever you do, don't get shot. I'll be like your body guard." He smiled and gave a nod to Johnny.

"You'd do that for me?"

"Yeah, sure. I mean who wouldn't want to be on that record board up front." They both smiled and nodded. Hiroki turned around quickly as he heard something behind him. "Be ready. I think I heard someone." A Crohama came out and they both quickly gave a sigh of relief and lowered their lasers. The guy did not lower his laser though.

"What's wrong? Why isn't he leaving?" Johnny asked as he put his laser back up again.

"Remember what that guy told us earlier? Sometime upper-leveled players shoot at their own teammates just to gain rank," Hiroki whispered. "You can shoot at him. It's fair game. Besides, we outnumber him."

"Yeah, I know, but why hasn't he shot us yet?" Johnny asked puzzled. "What is he waiting for?" Suddenly, the guy nodded slightly, and three others came out from nowhere and surrounded them.

"It's an ambush!" Hiroki shouted, and immediately they started firing. Johnny got one in the chest, and dodged one laser closely. A redhead got Hiroki in the chest just about the same time Hiroki got him on the shoulder. There were only two left, and Johnny quickly spun around and caught one off guard who he shot in the back. The other shot at Johnny, but Hiroki dived in front of him got hit instead. This gave Johnny just enough time to get a shot at the guy who was still dazed by Hiroki's move.

"Thanks," Johnny said with a smile as he pulled Hiroki up from the ground. "That was a really cool move, like something from the Matrix!"

"Yeah, I know," Hiroki said and pulled at his armor as if he was a hot shot. Johnny laughed and pushed him back down onto the ground. Hiroki laughed and got back up quickly, and they both ran off to find someone else.

-m-

"Hey, guys," Jeremie said as he entered their room and walked over toward his dresser. Odd scowled over towards him, but Ulrich gave a half-smile and nodded as if he noticed he came in and nothing more.

"Hey, Ulrich, did you hear the news today?" William asked looking concerned.

"No, I didn't. What news?" Ulrich asked, but he didn't look too worried especially since it was the clone he was talking to.

"Oh, it's nothing. William, here, just seems to think that every time someone on the television tells him to tune in, he has to tune in and listen. It was nothing out of the ordinary," Jeremie stated and shrugged it off as he headed to the restroom to take a shower.

"No, it was important. There was a storm coming, but I didn't get to hear what it was," William said disappointedly. "Jeremie told me to follow."

"A storm? Jeremie, what's this all about?" Ulrich shouted, loud enough for Jeremie to hear.

"I told you. It's nothing. It's just some snow. It'll blow over tonight. It'll make it even better snow for skiing tomorrow. Don't worry," he said, and afterwards the water turned on and the conversation was ended.

"Yeah, Ulrich, Jeremie may not know anything about anything useful in real-life situations, especially with Aelita, but he should know his weather. He's got a brain the size of Texas in his head!"

"Texas?"

"Yeah, you know that state in America? The big one near Mexico?" Odd said and nodded. Ulrich raised an eyebrow as if he still didn't understand. "Fine. He's got a big brain. Forget the Texas thing! Gosh, you'd think you don't have to be from the country to know a little about it."

"Odd, you are from the country! Your gran lives there! How am I supposed to know those things? That's like asking an American where Picardie is! They'd never be able to tell you," he said and rolled his eyes.

Odd laughed and smiled sheepishly. "I bet you my gran could tell you."

Ulrich rolled his eyes and threw his pillow at Odd so that it hit him square in the face. "I'll never get you to admit that I shouldn't have known that, so I think I'll give up." Odd laughed and threw the pillow back at Ulrich.

"I am victorious!" Odd said and placed his fists on his hips as if he was a superhero. Ulrich rolled his eyes and continued to get ready for bed.

"Where's Picardie?" William asked and looked over toward them. Ulrich and Odd looked over and both laughed. William just got more confused and eventually just gave up all hope of ever receiving an answer.

-m-

"So, Kip? How'd it go?" Ayden asked as Kiptyn walked into their room. "Did you get busy? You know: make her yours?" Kiptyn glared over at Ayden who chuckled slightly. "Ok, I guess that's a no. Did you make out? Kiss? Hold hands? Something?"

"Nothing went on, Ayden. I walked her to her room. She invited me in. We watched a little TV. The end. Nothing happened," Kiptyn said forcefully. "We did nothing. Not make out, kiss, or hold hands. The only thing I physically did with her today was save her from drowning in the pool, and even then that was just-."

"What? So she drowned on purpose, right? So you could kiss her?" Ayden asked with his eyebrows raised.

_I never really thought about it that way. _"Well, no. I'm pretty sure it was an accident."

"Kip, you're ridiculous."

"Sorry for disappointing you," he said and quickly got ready for bed.

"So, what are you doing tomorrow? Did you want to do something because I was thinking that we could-?"

"I'm skiing with her."

Ayden looked upset. "So you won't ask her out, but you'll spend time with her anyway. You won't pump her, but you'll socialize? If she's not your girlfriend, you should move on and find someone else. I mean look at me. That's what I do." He smiled.

"Yeah, and you'll probably never get married, have a wife, or kids. Well, scratch that last part. You might have kids but not in the same sense as a normal person. Doesn't that bother you?" Kiptyn asked as he rummaged through his things.

"No, not really. I mean, I am free to do whatever I like as long as I like. I'll never be tied down. No naggy kids always wantin' money, no wife harping on me to clean up after myself, no responsibilities. Just me, my things, my friends, and a different lady every night," he said and raised his eyebrows with a smile.

"And, that doesn't bother you?"

"Nope. Not really. Who are you anyway: my mom?" Ayden asked with a laugh. "Come on, Kip. Dump the girl, or ask her out. I'd dump her, but that's just because of the age. Well, maybe. I mean she's smokin and all, but I'm not sure if she'd be experienced enough. 14 is a little young, if you know what I mean."

Kiptyn rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah. You have your methods, and I'll have mine. I don't think I'm ready to ask her out just yet."

"Whatever. Be a wuss if you want to." Ayden laughed quietly to himself and continued to get ready for bed. "Oliver, you want to hang out tomorrow?"

"Um, I don't care."

"Kay, we'll go out to lunch and maybe meet up with Ian so we can go play laser tag or something," Ayden said and shrugged.

"Okay, I guess that sounds alright," Oliver said without looking over as he continued to brush his hair.

"I'd ask you to come, Kip, but since you're busy and all, I'll just save myself the trouble and go to sleep," Ayden said and laughed to himself. "I still say you should just ask the chick out if you like her so much."

Kiptyn rolled his eyes and sighed. As soon as he was sure that Ayden was really asleep, he came over to Oliver and sat next to him as not to wake Ayden. "What do you think I should do? You're better to ask for help than Ayden is anyway."

"I can't tell you what to do," Oliver said as he pulled his shirt off and threw it down beside his bed.

"Yeah, I know, but I want your opinion."

He was quiet for a while, and Kiptyn was almost convinced that Oliver was never going to respond. "Do you really like her?" he asked at last.

"Yeah. I can't say I've liked anyone as much as I do her."

"And, how does she make you feel?"

"I can't feel bad around her." Kiptyn smiled. "She just makes me feel good inside. She's so beautiful, and I never want to stop looking at her."

"Then, didn't you just answer your own question?"

"What do you mean?"

Oliver turned and headed toward the restroom. "I mean, you like her, you thinks she's beautiful, and you want to be with her. What more is there?"

"I would ask her out, but the problem is the age. She's practically 3 years younger than me."

"My parents are five years apart," Oliver stated and entered the restroom without saying anything more.

-m-

"Rikuji! Behind you!" Johnny shouted as he saw a laser come towards Hiroki. They continued to run from a group of Gorghees. They took a sharp turn and lost them in a group of trees. Hiroki and Johnny circled around in the trees until they were on offense, and they found the Gorghees again. Johnny got two of them in the back without them seeing where he was, and then snuck around another tree and shot the other two in the back as well. He gave Hiroki a quick high-five and then they both ran over to a check point where they received their points and rank. Hiroki had stayed roughly the same, and Johnny had gone up almost 2,000 points, but not in rank.

"Do you think I made the top ten yet?" he asked Hiroki who just shrugged. "It's almost 10. I'm getting really tired, and we're going to get up really early to meet the others to go skiing in the morning, so I think we should stop."

"What are you saying! You can't just quit now!" Hiroki shouted at him. "What if you're a thousand points away and someone passes you up at the last minute? Huh? What if you're only one shot away from the record?"

"What if I'm 4,000 points away, and regardless of everything, I don't make it?"

"Well, what if we stay up all night and you win!"

"Well, what if we stay up all night and I don't? Then, it will be all for nothing, and Milly and Tamiya will be mad at us tomorrow when we're so tired that we don't ski for very long because we can't stand up?" Johnny asked. "What if that happens? What then?"

"I don't know. We have to try at least!" Hiroki looked at Johnny with pleading eyes. "You don't know what the prize is if you get a record! Think about it." Hiroki smiled big and gave him a hopeful look. "You can do what you were doing earlier that made you gain rank so quickly. Just shoot at everything. Maybe certain things are worth big points. If you find out what is worth points, then you can pass everyone up, easily."

"Fine." Johnny sighed and nodded. "Let's go."

Hiroki cheered and they headed out. Each of them shot at various things along the trails: plastic mushrooms, flowers, small dots in the wood of plastic trees, and occasionally the person that they would pass by. They continued their pillage for points all throughout the next hour or so. At around 11:15, they were too tired to really go on, and headed back to the lady to turn in their armor.

"Well, let's see how you did." She typed some things into her computer and the results came back. Hiroki had moved up to Crojean 1, and Johnny was still an Alpha Croha. "I'm sorry to say this, but you're 11th on our high score list still. You still have about an hour left, but there's not too many people left. Sorry."

"Well, how many points am I away?" Johnny asked.

"You need at least a thousand more. You're welcome to go back out, but I think there's only like 5 other people out there." She gave them an apologetic smile. Johnny and Hiroki made a quick decision and went back out. They shot at everything and anything. Johnny lasered one person in a whole 30 minutes time. They returned back around 11:50.

"Did I make it?" Johnny asked hopefully as she calculated their scores.

Her face went sad as she read off that he was still 11th. "Sorry. You're 300 points shy, and I don't think anyone else is here. You can always come back and try tomorrow."

Johnny sighed and nodded as he went to take off his armor. "Hold it, Johnny. We still have 8 minutes. You can make it."

"Hiroki, give it up. There's no one else here, and shooting mushrooms in the last 8 minutes isn't going to give me 300 points. I just wasn't meant to get the record," Johnny said with a sigh. "It's fine. We might as well get some sleep."

Hiroki shook his head as he tried to think of something else. Then, an idea came into his head. "Johnny. Shoot me." Johnny raised an eyebrow at him. "Johnny, remember? People on the same team shoot each other to gain rank! Shoot me!"

"You'd let me shoot you?" he asked skeptically.

"I'm your body guard," Hiroki said with a smile. "Go ahead."

Johnny smiled and shot him in the chest. "How many points do I have now?" he asked quickly. The lady behind the desk smiled as she looked up his score.

"I've never seen anything like you two. I'm proud to say that you made it to 10th place by 50 points. I'll ring up your prizes and then we can go get your picture taken," she said with a smile and headed back with their armor to go put it away and get the camera.

"You made it, Johnny!" Hiroki shouted excitedly.

"I wouldn't have without you," Johnny replied with a smile. "Thanks. I wonder what the prize is."

"I hope it's something cool," Hiroki said and the lady appeared with her camera.

Johnny smiled and she took his picture. She mentioned that it would be up the next day or the day after that. Then she added 10 dollars to each of his gift certificates for making it to the top 10 instead of the top 20. As for making the record, she allowed him to choose a video game of his choice off the wall behind the counter and allowed him to choose a prize out of the case in front of her. Inside the case were a lot of different items that anyone could win by earning tickets off of the regular video games. There were rings, army figurines, posters, squirt guns, dolls, beach balls, clocks, pens, and radios. There were lava lamps, stuffed animals, DVD players, sunglasses, candy, and many other things. Johnny looked all of them over and decided to get a PSP because Hiroki already had one, and he had always wanted one. He chose his video game to go in his game system. "Thanks," he said and the lady smiled and gave him what he asked for.

"You're welcome. It's been really nice seeing someone so nice actually win. Usually people are just so rude. You're really sweet," she said to him and Johnny blushed. "My name's Nadia, and you're welcome to ask me for anything if you ever need anything." She smiled brightly and they quickly thanked her and left to head back to their room to finally get to sleep.

They only saw a few people on the way to their room, and as soon as they entered, they quickly got into their pajamas and got into bed. They didn't spend any extra time doing anything else. They just got in there pajamas and got in bed. Within 10 minutes of lying down, they were both fast asleep. Johnny was smiling in his sleep, and Hiroki was as well, and whether it was because he had gotten his picture taken, set a record, or was just looking forward to the next day was unsure, but what was positive was that they were both happy, and they were both glad that they had spent the day together.

**Ok, I hope you enjoyed.  
The next chapter will be great! I promise.  
You'll definately want a preview.  
So, you know what you have to do: REVIEW!  
Thanks to everyone who reviewed last time, especially those who gave me good anime choices.  
The deal still stands, if you know a good anime, just tell me in a review and I'll check it out.  
I'm just about finished with Death Note, and I've already seen Ouran High Host Club.  
That should define the things I like.  
Thanks for reading!**


	40. Good Morning?

**I hope you enjoy this next installation.  
It's time to go skiing!  
Yes, you've finally made it.  
It's time for the big day!  
The next few chapters will get more and more exciting as they go.  
You'll want as many prviews as you can get!  
Please review!  
I know you're out there!**

**No Matter What They Say**

**Chapter 40: Good Morning? **

Aelita was the first one to wake up, and she was careful enough as to not wake up the other two as she got out of bed and rummaged through her drawers to pick out her clothes. It was almost 5:15, and she yawned as she pulled out a pair of light blue skinny jeans and a bright pink turtle-neck. She grabbed a white vest from another drawer and headed to the restroom to get dressed and get ready for the day. She pulled her top over her and pushed her arms through the sleeves. She winced slightly as her shirt was a little tight against her bruised arms. After she finished dressing, she pulled her pink boots up over her jeans, walked up to the mirror, and ran her brush through her hair. _It's getting pretty long now. _She thought to herself as she continued to work the tangles out. Her hair was barely brushing the top of her shoulders. She put her brush down, and started to brush her teeth. While she was in the middle of brushing her teeth Yumi walked in and picked up her brush.

"Hey, Lita," she murmured through a yawn. "I wish we had told them we'd meet them at 7."

Aelita nodded, which was about as much she could do, seeing as she was brushing her teeth. Yumi yawned again and picked up her own toothbrush. Aelita finished and left Yumi to finish up by herself. She walked back into the bedroom and Sissi was still asleep, sprawled across her bed. Aelita started to make her bed as Yumi came back out of the restroom.

"You know they have maids for that, right?" Yumi asked as she turned on the lamp next to their beds.

Aelita laughed nervously. "Yeah, I guess I just forgot." She stopped in her tracks and left her bed half made.

Yumi smiled and looked over at Aelita. "Don't be nervous. You'll do fine! I promise. If you're that good at skating, you're bound to be good at skiing even if you don't remember it. Maybe it's like riding a bike, and it'll all come back to you."

"Thanks, Yumi," Aelita replied with a smile. "I hope you're right."

Yumi quickly changed into some dark jeans and a black long sleeve top. "Don't worry. I will be. Do you think we should wake up Sissi?" she asked as she checked the clock again to see that it read 5:20.

"Yeah. Especially if she has to get all of her makeup done by 6," Aelita said and laughed. "She'll need all the time she can get."

Yumi laughed and nudged Sissi to wake her up. "What's the big idea? I'm trying to sleep." Yumi rolled her eyes and knocked Sissi completely out of bed. "Gosh, Ishiyama! You'd think that you'd have some manners!"

"Oh, sorry, Sissi," she said sarcastically, "would you like to hear my manners?"

"It'd be appreciated some times!" Sissi said angrily and pulled herself up from the floor.

Yumi sighed and rolled her eyes. She stuck her hand out for her to take. "Oh, sorry. I forgot. Just get up and get dressed, unless, that is, you don't want to come skiing with us, and you'd rather stay here and sleep all day," she said. "In which case, you're welcome to go back to sleep." Sissi blew the hair out of her face and grabbed Yumi's hand as support to help her up.

"Ha ha. Very funny. I'm going whether or not you want me coming. You can't wreck today for me no matter how hard you try," she said with a huff and headed straight over to her dresser to pick out her clothes. She picked out a red top with an odd design, and her white ski pants. Yumi and Aelita raised an eyebrow at Sissi as she put them on. "What are you looking at?" she asked self-consciously.

"What are those?" Aelita asked.

"Haven't you ever seen ski pants before?" she asked and buttoned her pants and headed to the restroom to brush her hair and teeth.

"Yumi, I don't have ski pants," Aelita said with a hint of worry in her voice.

Yumi placed a hand on her shoulder. "It's fine. You can get some when we rent the skis. I forgot to pack some too. It'll be fine."

Aelita nodded as if she understood, but her worried expression still didn't leave.

-m-

"Get up, get up, get up!" Jeremie shouted at Odd at around 5:30. "I'm already dressed, and you're not even awake."

"Come on, Jeremie. Let me sleep in," Odd mumbled and went to pull the covers over his head. His hand reached down, but he couldn't seem to find anything there. He opened his eyes slightly to a room full of light. He looked down and all of the sheets and blankets on his bed were gone. "What's with you? Why'd you take all of my blankets?"

"Odd, Jeremie's right. You need to get up," Ulrich said as he came out of the restroom with a toothbrush in his mouth. "We've got to get to breakfast in less than 30 minutes, and you said you'd be there. We don't want a repeat of last night."

Odd groaned, but sat up and dangled his feet off the side of his bed. William was looking at the wall near the back of the room. He was apparently fascinated by how the wall was bumpy. He was already dressed. When Ulrich had appeared out of the bathroom, he had been dressed as well. He was the last one up, and going to be the last one ready. He went over to his dresser and pulled out a pair of blue jeans and a purple top. He also pulled out a dark purple zip-up vest. He quickly threw on his outfit, and headed into the restroom to brush his teeth. Ulrich had just finished up, and the bathroom was all his. He finished brushing his teeth, and got his hair fixed into the point he wanted and then headed back out into the room with the rest of them. Jeremie was sitting by himself, reading a book over in the corner of the room. Ulrich was listening to his iPod, lying on his bed. William was still over next to Jeremie, examining the wall.

"Ok, guys. I'm ready to go," Odd said and yawned. "I wish we would've had to meet up with them at like 9 or 11 or even 2. I'm so tired."

Jeremie rolled his eyes and walked out the door without responding. _Why am I even tagging along again? _He was followed by William fairly closely. _Aunt Butterby's sounds good. Do you think they'll make us actually eat buttered bees? I hope not. It sounds dangerous. _Odd followed William out, sluggishly. _I hope they give us lots of syrup. Lots and lots of sugary syrup to wake me up. _Ulrich was left to pull the door shut and make sure it was locked. He put his key in his pocket and then followed the others toward the elevator. _Why couldn't we just take a nice walk? Why do we have to go skiing? Why can't it be anything but skiing? I just hope I don't make a fool of myself. _He met up with them as they were waiting for the elevator to arrive. Odd gave a long yawn, and William was running his fingers over the walls trying to find out if they were bumpy as well. Ulrich yawned as well. _It's going to be a long day._

He just didn't know exactly how true that thought was.

-m-

Kiptyn woke up from the sound of his iPod alarm. He turned it off and got up as silently as he could, trying not to wake up Oliver or Ayden. He picked out a light blue long sleeved top, a dark brown jacket, and tan ski pants which were a little tight because he had grown a little since he had worn them last. He headed to the restroom where he brushed his teeth, got dressed, and combed his hands through his hair just to put it in place. Once he was finished, he grabbed his room key off of the table near the door, and he turned to head out. Before he left, he turned to check the clock. It was almost 6, but he was sure that no one would mind that he was a little late. Ayden was still fast asleep, sprawled across his bed, not unlike most nights. Oliver was curled up at the head of his bed, not moving into the space that Kiptyn once occupied. Kiptyn shook his head and gave a quiet laugh as he looked at the difference between his two friends. He turned and closed the door behind him and headed toward the elevator.

-m-

The three girls were the first to arrive at the restaurant and they told the host that they would need a table for 13, but they weren't sure how many would show up. He smiled and showed them to a large, round table in the back of the restaurant in a special room. Yumi told him that anyone coming would ask for either Yumi, Aelita, or Sissi, and he nodded. The girls took a seat at the table, and he left a stack of 13 menus in the center. As they looked over the menus, he returned to his station at the front, mentioning that a waiter would be with them shortly.

He waited up in the front for a while until a group of boys walked up to him and asked if there was a Yumi here because they were supposed to eat with her. He smiled and nodded, taking them back to their table.

"Ulrich!" Yumi said as she motioned toward a seat between her and Sissi. "I'm glad you could make it! You even got Odd here!"

He laughed and smiled. "We did our best." Odd rolled his eyes and took a seat to the left of Aelita. William took a seat next to him, and Jeremie to the left of William and the right of Yumi. "Although, he didn't want to get up."

"Yeah, yeah," Odd said through a yawn. "I need sleep just as much as the next guy."

"It's not like we even get any sleep when you sleep, Odd," Jeremie said rubbing his temples. "You snore like a bear."

Ulrich laughed and Odd glared toward Jeremie. "That's why I wear earplugs," Ulrich said and grabbed a menu from the center of the table.

"Hey, guys," Jared said as he walked in. He quickly noticed the two faces that he didn't recognize. "I'm Jared," he said and took Sissi's hand and kissed it. Odd rolled his eyes at him as Sissi blushed.

"I'm Sissi," she said and smiled, practically melting.

"And, you are?" he asked William who was thoroughly analyzing his menu.

"That's William," Yumi said quickly. As he passed by her chair, she whispered in his ear that he was sort of special, and hoped that that would clarify any of the stupid things that William might do or ask at breakfast. Jared nodded as if he understood and took a chair next to Aelita.

"You're lucky I got out this morning," he said with a smile. "My dad didn't really want me to come, but lucky for me, my new 'mom' kept him well busy last night, and he was out like a light this morning. The only problem was getting around my brother, Robbie. He's 18, but he's a pretty light sleeper. I almost woke him up twice. Caleb was easy to get around, he's 19. And, lucky for me, Daric wasn't there. He was spending the night at his girlfriend's last night. He's 20, and I would have never been able to get around him. He would have caught me for sure. I don't know what their problem is, but they just don't seem to want me to have a life. Well, whatever. I made it, didn't I?"

"That you did," Aelita said with a smile and handed him a menu. "I'm sorry this was such a problem for you."

"No, no. You're not a problem," he sweetly said and a twinkle came into his eye.

Odd coughed loudly, and Aelita turned back toward him. "Are you alright?" He nodded slightly and took a sip of water out of his glass. Jared caught his message and busied himself behind his menu.

Their waiter came and got all of the drink orders as they continued to socialize and talk over how much fun the day was going to be. The waiter brought the drinks quickly as there wasn't really anyone else in the restaurant to serve besides them. He then asked if everyone was ready to order. They told him to wait a few more minutes, and he nodded and said that he'd check back in a few minutes. They continued to socialize. Jared kept himself out of the conversation most of the time. William and Jeremie also remained quiet for most of the time. It seemed as if Odd still hadn't forgiven him as he wanted. Aelita seemed not to be too bothered any longer, but Odd was tense and angry whenever he seemed to speak to Aelita or anyone for that matter.

Sissi turned around in her seat as she sensed someone coming behind her. She stood up and gave him a hug as he arrived. "I'm glad you could make it." He smiled and nodded. "Everyone, this is Kiptyn, my b…fffriend." She caught herself before she flubbed up and smiled to everyone.

"Hey, guys," he said with a half-smile and a quick wave. Sissi went around and introduced everyone including Jared whom she introduced as 'a new friend of Aelita's who is really sweet and that you'll come to be great friends with'. He smiled and tried his best to remember all of the names. After introductions were completed, he took a seat to the Sissi's right.

Ulrich turned towards Yumi as Sissi began to talk to Kiptyn and whispered in her ear, "How did Sissi get somebody like that to actually come here? How old is he anyway? 18?"

Yumi turned and placed her lips up to his ear. "I don't know. I guess he was just overwhelmed by Sissi in a swimsuit, and she just caught up off guard. He's 16 by what she's told me, but apparently he's almost 17, so you weren't too far off." She pulled away from his ear and saw Ulrich shake his head as he looked back at his menu.

In the midst of ordering their breakfast, Milly and Tamiya showed up. Tamiya took a seat next to Jared, and Milly took the seat next to her. They both smiled and quickly found something on the menu to eat so that they wouldn't have to tie up the waiter's time. They both ordered pancakes and eggs, and the waiter took their orders to the back to be filled.

"Kiptyn, this is Milly and Tamiya. They are 6th graders at my school. They run our newspaper, and Milly, the one with the red hair, is going out with Hiroki, Yumi's younger brother," Sissi said as soon as the waiter left.

"Nice to meet you two," Kiptyn said with a smile.

"We're actually going into the 7th grade," Milly clarified boldly. "Nice to meet you too. I guess you'd have to be Sissi's boyfriend?"

They both blushed slightly. "No, actually. I'm just a friend," he said with a fake smile on his face. "I'm actually a lifeguard here."

"Ahh, I see," Milly said quietly. Then, she turned toward Tamiya and whispered to her. "You know what this is Tamiya? It's a scoop!"

Tamiya nodded and smiled. _Same old Milly. _"Yeah, you bet. It's a super scoop." Milly smiled and nodded and they turned back to face the others again.

"Yumi," Aelita called from across the table. "Did you tell your brother when to meet us?"

"Yeah, I don't know why he isn't here yet. Maybe, he just slept in. He'll be here eventually, if not now, then when we go to the actual ski rental shop," Yumi said although she was actually worried but just didn't want to show it in front of Milly and Tamiya. "I think I'll go head to the restroom before our food gets here." Aelita nodded and they both got up to head to the restroom.

"Yumi, where is he?"

"I don't know. I'm calling him," she replied as she pulled out her phone and typed in the number for Hiroki's speed dial. "Come on. Pick up. Pick up. Pick up." It continued to ring and ring as they walked toward the restroom. _Hey! You've reached Hiroki! Leave a message and I'll get back to you as soon as I'm finished doing whatever it is I'm doing. I'll talk to you soon! _"Ugh," Yumi sighed as she recognized his voicemail. She waited for the beep. "Hiroki, this is Yumi. Where are you? Get over here as soon as you can. Bye."

"No luck?" Aelita asked. Yumi shook her head. They took the time and actually decided to use the restroom before returning back to the table.

-m-

"Hey, Odd," Kiptyn called from across the table. "What's with your hairdo? Is it like a cosplay thing, or do you actually wear your hair like that all the time?"

"I wear it like this all the time actually," he replied groggily. "It's a full time thing."

"That's cool," Kiptyn said and smiled. "I wish I could do cool things to my hair, but it just doesn't do anything. My roommate has a Mohawk, but I never could seam to get my hair to do anything really."

Odd smiled that someone actually liked his hair. "Thanks. I'm glad you like it."

"Watch it, Kiptyn. Don't let Odd get too big of a head," Ulrich said with a laugh. "He'll run all over you, thinking that he's the king of the world."

"But, I am the king of the world, Ulrich. And, you must all bow down to me!" he said and everyone laughed including Odd.

The waiter arrived and brought the meals for all of them. Yumi and Aelita returned from the restroom just as he arrived. Odd looked with wide eyes at all of the food being placed on the table in front of him. Aelita chuckled to herself as he struggled to get his fork out of his napkin in order to get at his food. Yumi looked over to the empty seat next to Milly with concerned eyes. Hiroki still hadn't arrived, and she had called him a second time with no answer. Ulrich gave her a quick pat on the leg, and she relaxed enough to smile. Sissi tried self-consciously to eat without looking like a pig and without dropping anything, especially syrup, on her clothes. Kiptyn saw the design on Ulrich's shirt which advertized for a Penchakelat class, and asked him about it. They began a conversation on Martial Arts, and Yumi and Sissi joined in, contributing their two cents worth. Odd was making jokes at the other end of the table, and Milly and Tamiya really seemed to be enjoying that they were allowed to hang out with them. Aelita seemed to stay focused on her meal, but occasionally laughed at one of Odd's jokes. Jared seemed to be the only one really not talking. Even Jeremie was talking with William and occasionally with Ulrich or Yumi. Jared was trying not to get in Odd's way, and focused solely on eating. Occasionally he would answer a question that Tamiya would ask him. She asked about his age and grade, and she also wondered how he had met them. Other than answer her few questions, he said nothing. Around the middle of breakfast, Yumi made another excuse to go to the restroom. On her way, she called Hiroki again.

-m-

_If today was your last day and tomorrow was too late, could you say goodbye to yesterday? _Hiroki groaned as he heard his ringtone start to play. He rolled over and tried to block out the noise. _Would you live each moment like your last? Leave old pictures in the past? Donate every dime you have? Would you call old friends you never see?  
Reminisce of memories? _He groaned again and rolled over and reached for his phone. He looked to see who it was. Yumi's name lit up on his screen. _Would you forgive your enemies? Would you find that one you're dreamin' of? Swear up and down to God above that you finally fall in love? _He reluctantly picked up and held his phone to his ear. "Hello?"  
_"Hiroki! I've been trying to reach you all morning! I've called three times!" _he heard Yumi's voice shout through the phone.

"Yeah, yeah. What is it? What time is it anyway?"

_"It's 7o'clock. You're supposed to be at breakfast with us! Where are you?"_

"I'm still in bed. I'm tired. I was up late last night. Don't yell. You're giving me a headache."

_"Hiroki! Why did you stay up so late? You were supposed to be here. You knew it."_

"We were playing laser tag, trying to get Johnny a high score record." He heard Yumi sigh exasperatedly into the phone. "Why was I supposed to meet you for breakfast anyway? What's the big deal? I though we were supposed to…." It finally dawned on him. "Crap. I'll be right there," he said quickly and hung up. He then jumped out of bed and pushed Johnny off the other side. "Johnny, get up."

From the floor, Johnny opened his eyes. "What did you do that for?" he asked groggily.

"We're supposed to be at breakfast!" Hiroki shouted and rummaged through his clothes. He quickly pulled out a pair of brown ski pants, and a light blue, long sleeved top. He then grabbed a dark blue North Face ©, and headed to the restroom to quickly get ready for the day.

Johnny got up off the floor, rubbing his head, and headed over to his clothes. He grabbed a white and red shirt and a pair of jeans and put them on. Then he headed into the restroom where Hiroki was finishing brushing his teeth. Johnny grabbed his own toothbrush and quickly brushed his own teeth. As he finished, Hiroki finished brushing his hair. Johnny ran his hands through his hair, and Hiroki grabbed his key.

"Come on, Johnny," Hiroki said and held the door open, impatiently. Johnny nodded and grabbed a white coat from their closet before leaving. Then, they quickly hurried toward the elevator and to where they were supposed to have been an hour earlier.

-m-

Yumi returned back from the restroom, and everyone was finishing up breakfast. "Ok, guys," she said as she got all of their attention. "I've been skiing multiple times, and I know that I'll be able to hold my own, but I know there are people here that this could be their first time. So, who here has been skiing, and who is inexperienced? Does anyone want to take the hour lesson?"

Ulrich turned toward Yumi. "You know my story. I've been once."

"I've been multiple times," Sissi said with a smile. "I can hold my own."

Kiptyn turned toward Sissi. "Maybe you can help me 'cause I'm a little sketchy. I've been before, but it was a while ago."

"Same with me," Milly said. "I went a long time ago. I think I could use the lesson."

"Yeah, I went with Milly. That was the only time I've gone," Tamiya added. "I might need a little help. The lesson might be good."

"Same with me," Aelita said. "I've only gone a long time ago, and I don't really remember it."

"Don't worry, princess. I'll help you. I've been skiing loads of times when I visit my gran, we go up to the mountains and ski sometimes," Odd said with a smile. "It'll be fun."

"I've never been in my life," Jeremie mumbled, "and I'm having second thoughts."

"Don't worry, Jeremie," Yumi said as she wrote everything down. "I'll just sign you up for a lesson. It'll be fine."

Jared looked over to Yumi. "I come here almost every year. I'm good."

"What's skiing?" William asked. Yumi slapped her forehead with her hand.

"I'll put you down for the lesson," she said and looked to see if anyone was skeptical of William. Sissi had rolled her eyes, and Jared looked sympathetically toward the clone. Kiptyn seemed not to have noticed, and Milly and Tamiya seemed to be looking toward the front of the restaurant. Yumi turned and looked toward the front. Hiroki and Johnny had finally made it.

"Hey, sis. Did we miss much?" Hiroki asked through a yawn.

"Just breakfast," she said sarcastically. "I know you don't need a lesson, but will Johnny need one?"

"A ski lesson? Nah, he's been with his cousins before. He's alright," Hiroki said and took a seat next to Milly. Johnny smiled at Yumi and she looked awkwardly down at her paper where she was taking notes. Johnny sighed quietly and took his seat next to Hiroki. As the waiter came around with refills to drinks, Hiroki and Johnny ordered breakfast.

"Ok, well, when we get to the rental place, I'll do all the talking. I called them yesterday while Aelita and I were skating, and I told them that we were coming. They said that as long as we got there on time, they'd be ready to help us, and we'd be their main priority. So, while I talk to Darryl, you guys can hang out around the rental place lobby, but don't go too far because I just have to tell him who needs lessons, and then we'll all get set with skis." Everyone nodded and began talking about how much fun skiing was going to be.

Aelita looked nervously and picked at the food that was still on her plate. Odd didn't seem to notice and continued to tell jokes and stories about skiers and accidents and other things to Milly, Tamiya, and now Hiroki and Johnny. Aelita winced as Odd told a story about a skier who got lost and was found three days later, limping down the mountain without one of his legs.

"Are you ok?" Jared asked Aelita quietly. Odd was too into the story to really notice them talking anyway.

"Yeah," Aelita lied. "I guess I'm just not hungry."

"No, I wasn't talking about the food. You just didn't look too happy about skiing. Are you sure you want to go?" he asked.

"Yeah," Aelita lied again. "Of course. Everyone wants to go."

"You know, if you don't want to go, you don't have to," he said with a smile. "You don't have to force yourself to do anything."

"How is it?"

"How is what?" he asked, not understanding.

"How is it," she began with a half smile, "that you can always tell what I'm feeling and when I'm lying?"

"I don't know. I guess I can just feel when people are upset," he said with a smile. "You don't have to please anyone but yourself, Aelita."

"I would make Odd upset if I didn't go," she whispered. "He's been looking forward to this, and so have I…up until now."

"Well, why aren't you excited anymore?"

"I don't know. I guess I'm just scared. I haven't been in a long time, and I just feel like something bad is going to happen," she whispered again. "I don't know what, but I feel like something is going to happen."

"You don't have to ski."

She took a deep breath and smiled. "Thanks, but I think I do."

**The next few chapters are going to be really exciting.  
Don't you have questions?  
What's going to happen next?  
What ever happened to Artemis?  
What's going to happen next?  
What is that cave in the summary?  
What's going to happen next?  
Are Aelita and Odd ever truly going to be together in public?  
What's going to happen next?**

**Well. Review, and you'll get a preview of the next chapter, and soon all of those questions will be solved.  
Here comes the climax we've all been waiting for!**


	41. Fear vs Fun

**Ok, this is one of the one's we've all been waiting for.  
I'm not sure if I want to update anymore.  
I had 36 people view that last chapter and none of you reviewed!  
I guess none of you want more chapters?  
I had 815 people view my story in June and only 12 or so reviews.  
That's rediculous!  
Review for a preview.  
Review if you actually want a continuation.  
Does anyone even like this story anymore?  
I'm only getting 1 review per chapter nowadays.  
Please Review.**

**No Matter What They Say**

**Chapter 41: Fear vs. Fun**

They all finished breakfast soon, as Hiroki and Johnny were fast eaters. Jared and Kiptyn paid for their meals, and the rest of them just mentioned that they were from Kadic and stated their names. By 8, the entire group was waiting in the lobby of the ski rental shop. Yumi found Darryl and began to work out who was in need of a lesson and who wasn't. Odd insisted that Aelita didn't need to waste her time taking a lesson and that he would help her to remember how to ski. Yumi shrugged and took her off the list. William, Jeremie, Milly, and Tamiya were the only ones signed up. Once Yumi finished, she introduced everyone to Darryl. He smiled and wave to them all then led them to where they could rent ski pants. Kiptyn, Sissi, and Hiroki were the only ones to have ski pants of their own, so everyone else had to receive a rental pair. Yumi chose black, Ulrich chose brown, Aelita chose white, Odd chose white, Jeremie chose brown, William chose red, Jared chose brown, Milly chose white, Tamiya chose red, and Johnny chose brown. Once they all found a good fit, they headed out to choose skis that were a good size for them. They all were sized, and Darryl said that he would be right back with the skis in a few minutes. Quite a few of them chose that opportunity to use the restroom so they wouldn't have to use it while they were skiing.

Aelita leaned herself over the sink, gripping the sides tightly. "Yumi, I don't think I can go through with this, not after hearing all of those stories about people getting killed by skiing." She shook her head and closed her eyes. "I don't think I can go through with it. I-I really don't want to let Odd down, but I just, I think I'm going to get sick."

Yumi looked over at her friend who was holding the sides of the sink so tightly that her knuckles were white. "Aelita, don't worry. We're all here. We can all help you. You'll do fine and we'll have fun at the same time." She placed her hand on her back. "I promise."

Aelita tried to smile, but could only give a little fake smile. "If you say so."

"I'll be right outside with the others. Come out when you're finished." Yumi smiled encouragingly. Milly and Tamiya finished up and followed Yumi out.

"You know, I was nervous my first time, too," Sissi said as she started to wash her hands. "Just pretend that you're playing some kind of game. Pretend that you're a princess or something and say that at the bottom of the hill your prince is waiting for you. That's what I did. I used to pretend that my prince was waiting for me when I was afraid, and that if I just got down the slope, I would meet him, and we'd live happily ever after."

"Why are you being so nice all of a sudden? You've never liked us."

"Scratch that. I never liked Yumi," Sissi said with a smile. "I guess I just got tired of not having friends, and you guys were nice, so I thought that if I was nice to you guys, we could be friends." She shrugged. "Besides, I've been in your shoes before. I've been afraid and had to do something, so I just thought that I'd try and help." She smiled and dried her hands before she left the restroom. Aelita smiled after her. She quickly splashed some water on her face and left the restroom to meet the others.

"I got you your skis," Odd said with a smile as she exited the restroom. He smiled and took them from him. They headed over to the others and they were shown how to put them on. Milly and William were the only ones struggling, but Hiroki helped Milly and Jeremie helped William, and soon they were all ready.

"Ok, everyone," Darryl said calling everyone over to the ski lift. "I'm going to teach you all how to ride the ski lifts. There are multiple ones here. This is the main one up to the top of the mountain. It's the biggest, and is the only one with a hand bar. Most of the skiing is done at the top of the mountain, so this is your ticket to get up there. Once you are up at the top there are multiple slopes from your basic beginning slope to the expert levels. Each has their own ski lift. This ski lift here is the only way back down the mountain unless you're going to ski down the whole way, which is nearly impossible, but has been done by a few people who broke the rules. Anyway. It's easy to get on. The hardest part is getting off. Does anyone here feel very comfortable with ski lifts?"

Sissi, Kiptyn, Jared, Yumi, Odd, Hiroki, and Johnny raised their hands. "Ok, do any of you mind showing the others how to get on?"

"Kiptyn and I can!" Sissi said, volunteering.

"Alright. Just follow my instructions in order, just so we can show the others, step by step." Darryl smiled at them and they nodded. "Ok, so the lift will come around and pass you up taking the people in front of you. Then you'll be next. Ski your way forward right behind the chair and wait on the red line." Sissi and Kiptyn did. "And, as you stand, the chair will come around. As it comes behind you, sit down and let it pull your body out from under you. Then, pull down the lap bar, and you're off." Kiptyn and Sissi were carried up toward the top by themselves.

"We'll wait for you at the top!" Sissi shouted back before they were too far gone.

"Alright. That's all you have to do to get on," Darryl said with a smile. "Any questions?"

Milly raised her hand. "Um, how do you get off?"

Darryl gave a small chuckle. "I was just about to get to that. Follow me this way." He went over to the other side where the people were getting off. There were only a few, but enough to give an example. "Ok, watch these people. They pull the bar up above their heads, and lean onto the edge of the seat. As their skis touch the ground, they stand up and push off with the poles and ski out of the way like so." They all watched as the people got off exactly as he had described. "I'm sure you all will do fine. Anyone getting a lesson can turn right up at the top and meet the instructor for lessons. He'll be in an orange jacket with a neon yellow vest. You'll be able to spot him. Have fun guys, and if you get hungry, there's a snack bar and a small café up there to get snacks. That way, you won't have to come all the way back down. The lift closes at 7:30, so as long as you're in line by then, you're good."

They waved goodbye to Darryl and headed over toward the ski lift. Hiroki and Milly were going to go first. Hiroki showed her through the steps, and they took off well, with only a slightly scared look on Milly's face. Johnny and Tamiya went next. He showed her the same thing, and they went off well. Jeremie and William went with Jared who had offered to help them. It was just big enough for three. William was looking around the whole time and had no problem. Jeremie, on the other hand, had white knuckles as Jared pulled down the bar. Odd smiled to Aelita as if saying that they were next. _Oh, help me! _Aelita thought to herself as Odd brought her to the lift. Yumi gave her a smile of encouragement as she sat down on the chair and was lifted away.

"Come on, Ulrich," Yumi said with a smile. "We're next." Ulrich was rooted to the spot and wouldn't move. He eyed the lift without deterring his face. "Ulrich," Yumi said sweetly. "You'll be fine. I'll help you." She grabbed his hand and smiled. He looked away for a minute to look at her.

"I don't know if I can do this, Yumi," he said shakily.

"Sure you can," she said and smiled again. "Come on."

They skied up to red line and waited. As the seat pulled them up, Yumi pulled the bar down over their head. Ulrich looked around for a minute but then couldn't handle it any longer and closed his eyes tightly. He gripped the bar tightly and scrunched up his eyes. Yumi looked over at Ulrich and sighed with a smile. _At least he didn't back out. He came. _She linked her arm through his. It was going to be a long ride up to the top.

-m-

"You know, this view is great!" Odd shouted as he looked around. "I can see everything from up here!"

"That's great, Odd," Aelita whispered with her eyes closed and her hands gripped around the bar in front of her.

"Come on, Aelita," he said and continued to look around. "Open your eyes and look around. It's a great view. How can you be missing this?"

"Odd, I can't. I'm frightened horribly, and I don't think I'll be able to get off."

"Nonsense. I'll help you," he said and reached for her hand to hold it. She squealed as he tried to remove it.

"Don't you dare! I'm going to fall!" she said loudly, and gripped the bar tighter.

Odd looked over for the first time. Aelita's eyes were shut tight. Tears had formed in the corner of her eyes. _She's not joking. She's actually scared. _His face turned sympathetic and kind. He wrapped his arm slowly around her waist and pulled her into him. "Think of it this way, Aelita. Pretend that you're in Lyoko and your flying. You've been able to do that fine. Think of it as if we're on the overboard. You're never afraid then. Pretend that we're just in the ice sector on the overboard." Her face relaxed a little and her grip loosened. "Ok, now slowly open your eyes."

-m-

"This is great," Sissi said with a smile. "The air feels really nice and everything. I wish it could always feel this good when it's cold. That would be great."

"Yeah," Kiptyn replied with a smile. "It's really beautiful from up here." He turned toward her and smiled again. "I'm really glad you invited me to come with you."

_He's so cute when he smiles. Ahh. Why can't this ski lift last forever? _Just then, the ski lift stopped and the chairs swung back and forth. _That's weird. _"I guess someone's having trouble getting off." He nodded.

-m-

"Why'd it stop!" Ulrich said and opened his eyes abruptly. Yumi quickly took his hand before he started to freak out and pulled it toward her.

"Don't worry. It's ok. Someone just was probably a little slow at getting off and needs a little help. It'll start back up soon."

He looked toward Yumi and blushed slightly. He'd never let anyone so close to him as too help him with his fears before. She smiled at him and his eyebrow twitched slightly.

"It's alright. I'm right here. You won't fall," she said sweetly and cupped her hand around the side of his head. She kissed his forehead and pulled away. His eyebrow twitched again and he blushed, more severely this time. This was just about the time the lift started moving again.

-m-

"I'm glad it's moving again," Kiptyn said as he looked around, watching the trees go by below him. He turned around to see how far the others were behind them. There were at least 20 chairs empty behind them before people were in them, and he wasn't even sure if the people were his friends.

Sissi nodded in agreement although it wasn't quite true. _Hmm. Why can't he just ask me out already? I wish I was a little older so he wouldn't feel as awkward though. _She looked around and it wasn't long before they were at the top.

"Ok, watch your arms," Kiptyn said as he pulled the bar back above their heads. They got off and quickly moved out of the way. "Let's wait for your friends over there on that bench." He pointed a little way to the right where there was a wooden log that must have been what he called a 'bench'. Sissi nodded, and they went over and sat down.

"There aren't very many people up here," she said as they looked around, waiting for the others. "I wonder why. Do you think it's just because we're early?"

"I don't know. I haven't been up here in a while. I wouldn't know how many people usually come. I kind of like it this way though. I don't really care for big crowds." He smiled and continued to look for their friends. He didn't see any of them, but noticed a sign a ways away that stated all of the slopes. They decided to look at it while they waited.

"Hey, guys!" Hiroki called from a little ways away. Sissi and Kiptyn turned back around and headed over to them.

"So much for looking at the slopes," Kiptyn said and they laughed. Milly looked better than she had when she got on.

Hiroki took Milly's hand and helped her over to the side. "We're the first ones, but the others are right behind us," Hiroki stated. "Did you find anything cool yet?"

"Nope," Sissi said with a sigh. "We didn't really get a good chance to look at anything." Tamiya and Johnny appeared next, followed closely by everyone else except Yumi and Ulrich.

"Where'd they go?" Odd asked looking back down the lift. Everyone shrugged and just waited, chatting about what they wanted to do.

-m-

"Ulrich," Yumi started. "We're almost at the top. I have to raise the bar." He nodded and opened his eyes. The ground spun in front of him and his head began to swirl. "Ulrich, get ready." He raised his feet and swallowed heavily. As his feet touched the ground, he gripped Yumi's hand tightly, and they both stood up. Yumi quickly guided them both out of the way. Ulrich's heart stopped pounding so hard and his hand finally relaxed. He pulled his hand awkwardly off of Yumi's and moved toward the others.

"You made it, good buddy," Odd said and gave him a pat on the back and one of his genuine 'Odd smiles'.

Ulrich rolled his eyes and glared slightly in his direction. "Well, we're all here. What are we waiting for?"

Those that were supposed to take the lesson went off and quickly found the trainer. The others headed over the other way toward the slopes. Hiroki and Johnny waved goodbye to the others and headed off to the hard slopes while they could, mentioning that they'd have to do easy stuff once Milly and Tamiya returned. Yumi nodded, and they left.

"Ok, you guys, what do you want to do first? Start hard and cool down or work our way up?" Yumi asked looking at the ones remaining.

"Can we start easy please?" Aelita asked shyly. "Remember, I'm new at all of this."

"Right," Yumi said with a smile. "Sure, that should get us all warmed up, and you and Ulrich can get situated on your skis."

"To the bunny slope!" Odd shouted and skied off with the others following. Yumi rolled her eyes, and Kiptyn and Sissi laughed.

"Do I have to ski?" Ulrich asked, recalling his first experience with skis.

"Come on, Ulrich. You'll do fine," Yumi said with a smile as they continued to follow Odd. He was already pretty far ahead of them. He had started teaching Aelita the difference between going fast and going slow, using food terms.

"You see, Aelita, when you want to go faster, you make your skis look like French fries, and when you want to go slower, you make them look like a slice of pizza," he said. "Watch me." He started skiing down the hill. "Pizza. French fries. Pizza. French fries. Make sure you ski diagonally down unless you really have the hang of it and want to go fast."

Aelita raised her eyebrow. "How does any of this actually work?"

Yumi laughed as she heard how Odd was teaching. "Actually, Aelita, he's right. I wouldn't have used food terms, but with Odd being a walking stomach and all, I can see his method. Try it for yourself. Don't worry. If you fall over, just get back up again."

"And how would I do that?" she asked nervously.

"Just plant your pole, make sure your facing sideways so that your skis aren't going down the hill, and push yourself up," she said with an encouraging smile. "Go ahead and try. Odd's waiting at the bottom of the hill."

Aelita nodded and tried for herself. She got the hang of it quickly, and didn't fall. She met Odd at the bottom and waved back up at them as if to say she was alright. Sissi and Kiptyn took off, racing to the bottom. Sissi surprisingly beat him, and Odd laughed hysterically until Kiptyn pushed him over.

"Nice. That's what Odd deserves," Ulrich said from the top.

"Your turn," Yumi said and skied out ahead of him. "Come on." Ulrich nervously headed down after her, trying to mimic what he had seen the others do. He eventually got the hang of it, just a little longer than it had taken Aelita. His nerves started to calm down after a while, and he actually smiled at the bottom. "Now that wasn't so bad, was it?" Ulrich wiped the smile off his face and shrugged. Yumi rolled her eyes and skied her way over to the lift.

By the end of the hour, Aelita had gotten a real hang of skiing and was able to go just as fast as the others. She had gone down the level 2 slopes, but ended up crashing every time as well as screaming nearly the entire way down. Odd always laughed, but helped her to get back up on her feet. She was feeling pretty self-accomplished, and was smiling and laughing the whole time, regardless of the falls. Ulrich was almost as fast as the others and was fairly decent at skiing. He had gone down some of the level 2 slopes without problems. He didn't seem to be having as much fun as Aelita, but he also didn't seem to fall as much as her either. His only big problem was after the skiing was over, when he had to ride the lift back up to the top for another run. Yumi was mainly staying with the group, but did show off once or twice on how good she was. Sissi tried to show off once or twice to get attention, but ended up going too fast and falling. Odd laughed, and Sissi threw snow in his face to shut him up. Kiptyn wasn't really doing anything too elaborate and always stopped to help anyone who fell. Odd showed off all the time. He was always trying to go faster, ski farther, or do jumps. He would slow down every once and a while to ski with Aelita and the others, but more often than not, he'd be trying to show off. When he would do that, Aelita would usually ski with the others, and Jared would join in more. He was the only one actually feeling a little left out. Odd had calmed down a little about him hanging out with them, but still didn't like the idea too much. Jared was pretty good at skiing and didn't show off but held his own. He would normally be the one to follow along with the others, but not say too much. Aelita grabbed his hand once for support, and although Odd didn't even notice, Jared felt a little uncomfortable about it.

"Thanks," she said with a smile as she steadied herself and continued on her way toward Odd and the others at the bottom.

_Stop it, Jared. Stop thinking about her like that. You said it yourself. She's taken, and you only want to be friends anyway. You told yourself that you only want to be friends. You promised Odd that you only wanted to be friends. _He shook his head and met up with the others. He grabbed a seat next to Odd and Aelita on the chair lift. _Then, why does it feel so good to sit next to her and feel her leg resting against mine? Why does she look so beautiful with snow in her hair? Why does her smile and smallest touch make my heart beat faster?_ He shook his head and looked to the trees they were passing as they headed back to the top.

"Having fun, Aelita?" Odd asked and took her hand.

"Yeah, actually, I am. I didn't know skiing would be this fun." She blushed and smiled as she looked around with her innocent eyes. "I thought I'd fall more times, too."

Odd laughed and got ready to get off. "I'm glad you're having a good time."

"Are you hungry already?" she asked as she heard Odd's stomach growl. They got off and quickly got out of the way.

"Hey, you know me, princess. I'm always hungry," he said with a smile. Aelita laughed and rolled her eyes. Yumi, Ulrich, Sissi, and Kiptyn came off and met up with them.

"Odd's hungry," Aelita said with a laugh.

"What?" Ulrich asked skeptically. "Odd, you ate less than two hours ago. It's not even 11 o' clock yet."

"My stomach can't tell time, Ulrich," he said with a smile and everyone laughed.

"Fine, fine. The others should be finishing up with their lesson right about now. Let's go and meet them, and then we'll see what we want to do," Yumi said and they all headed over in that direction. Hiroki and Johnny must have had the same idea because they were waiting with Jeremie, William, Milly, and Tamiya when the others showed up.

"Hey, guys!" Hiroki said cheerfully. "What've you been up to?"

"Just skiing, Hiroki," Yumi said exasperatedly. "What else would we be doing?"

"Gosh, sis. No need to be harsh. I was just asking a question." He laughed to himself. "I was about to go show Milly to the bunny slope. You should really check out the Black Diamond trail, though. It's great, but very hard. I wouldn't recommend it for anyone who's new." He smiled and chuckled. "Johnny nearly busted my eardrums from screaming like a girl."

"Hey," Johnny said and blushed slightly. "That snow bank caught me off guard. It's not my fault."

Hiroki rolled his eyes. "Sure it isn't." He looked up at his sister with a questioning look. "Now, did you want something?"

"Odd's hungry," she stated.

"Then, feed him or something. What do I look like, a hamburger?" Hiroki asked and raised an eyebrow at her.

Yumi sighed. "Oh, I aughta…." She took a deep breath and continued "We were wondering if you wanted to eat now."

"Nah," he said with a smile that he knew would piss Yumi off.

"Oh, I…," she started, but Aelita pulled her back.

"What she means is that we wanted to have some lunch with you all, and we were wondering when would be the best time," Aelita stated calmly and then let Yumi go.

"Oh, well, why didn't you just say that, sis?" he asked and laughed. Yumi's face turned red. "How about we meet at around 11:30? Is that good for you, sis?"

"Yeah, sure," she muttered and watched as Hiroki, Johnny, Milly, and Tamiya headed over to the bunny slopes.

"Calm down, Yumi," Aelita said with a little laugh. "There's no need to get upset with your brother. After all, he's just a little brother. They'll try and irritate you any chance that they can get."

She sighed and nodded. "Yeah, ok. Though, he did make me want to try that Black Diamond ski slope."

"Count me out!" Ulrich said quickly, before he could get roped into it. "There's no way you're getting me down that thing."

"Alright. I wouldn't have expected you to want to come," she said. Then, she looked around for others to go with her. Jeremie was barely able to stand on his skis, even after an hour of practice with an instructor. William was facing the opposite direction as everyone else and trying to move his skis off of one another. Then her eyes rested on Aelita.

"Oh no. No no no. You are not getting me down that death trap!" she said defiantly.

"Fine," she muttered and looked around again. "Odd?"

"Sure, sounds alright to me," he said and shrugged.

She smiled. "Sissi? Kiptyn? Jared?"

"I don't know, Yumi," Sissi started, "it sounds dangerous. I'll only go if Kiptyn goes with me. Kiptyn?"

"What the hey?" he said and shrugged. "I'll give it a shot."

"Jared?" Yumi asked again.

"I've been down it before, and you don't know what you're getting yourself into. It's not as easy as you think it is," he said. "Count me out."

"Ok, then it's just the four of us," Odd said with a smile. "Onward to our doom!" he shouted and headed off in the direction of the slope.

"We'll meet you guys at the bunny slope when we're done," Yumi said and headed after Odd.

"I guess that leaves you, me, Jared, Jeremie, and William," Ulrich said to Aelita.

"Great. I'm the only girl," Aelita said sarcastically.

"That never seemed to bother you before," Ulrich said and raised an eyebrow. "How's this any different?"

"I'm stuck with you!" she said and laughed.

"Oh, I'll get you for that!" Ulrich shouted.

"Not if you can't catch me!" Aelita shouted and laughed. She raced away and down the bunny slope away from Ulrich who was close on her tail.

"Well, I think I'll go catch up with them," Jared said awkwardly and headed after them.

"Yeah, I think I'll just stay here," Jeremie said loudly, still trying to stand up without wobbling.

Aelita reached the bottom and skied out of Ulrich's grasp. She quickly headed away and down a level 2 trail, going just slightly fast than normal. She laughed as he continued to follow her. She tried to speed up to get away, but didn't notice a small snow bank in front of her and went down hard. She continued to roll until she stopped a few hundred feet from the bottom. Ulrich came up beside her and knelt down the best he could.

"Aelita, are you ok!" he asked, genuinely worried as he had seen the entire fall.

Aelita opened her eyes and saw three Ulrichs circling around in front of her. She waited a few seconds for her vision to clear, and Jared appeared behind him. "Whoa, that was intense."

"Aelita, how many fingers am I holding up?" Ulrich asked.

"Stop moving and maybe I could tell you," Aelita said with a laugh.

Ulrich looked to Jared and shrugged. "I'm not moving."

"Oh," she said and steadied her vision a little. "Three?"

Ulrich looked down at his hand and made sure. There were three fingers. "Ok, I think you're alright. That was a big fall though."

"Tell me about it," Aelita said and sat up. "I went through it." She laughed and got to her feet. One of her skis had come off. She put it back on, and Jared took one arm, and Ulrich took the other, and they guided her safely down the rest of the way.

"Are you sure you're alright?" Jared asked her once more.

"As sure as I am that it takes 8.5 minutes for light to get to the earth from the sun," she said, and Jared looked skeptically at her.

"She's alright," Ulrich said with a smile. "And, I would ask you how you know these things, but it's you, so I won't ask." He smiled and they all laughed.

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	42. Trouble

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**No Matter What They Say**

**Chapter 42: Trouble?**

Ulrich and Jared brought her over to the lift, and they all got on safely without getting run over by the chair. Ulrich actually wasn't afraid this time because he was too worried about Aelita. They helped her off and guided her over to the side where they sat her down.

"I'm fine, guys," she insisted as they sat her down.

"What's the square root of pi?" Ulrich asked.

She laughed and answered, "1.7724538. Any more questions?" She held her head.

"No, I guess not. I mean I wouldn't have known the answer to that anyway, so I'm trusting that that's correct," Ulrich said and they all laughed. "Jared, do you know how to check for concussions?"

"Um, I don't really remember much other than something about being able to see it in their eyes," he said with a shrug. "Check her eyes to see if they look different than normal."

"Aelita, look at me for a second," Ulrich said and she did. He looked into her eyes. "They seem normal to me, but I don't normally go staring into her eyes all day." They all laughed and Aelita smiled. "Does your head hurt?"

"No, not anymore. I'm seeing normally again, and I feel no fatigue. I genuinely feel fine, Ulrich. I promise. I feel better than some other days. I don't think I actually hit my head straight on. I think the only reason my vision was blurred was that I continued to spin down the slope. I'm almost positive that I fell on my shoulder, and it doesn't hurt at all," she promised. "If you still insist that I sit here, I will, but I'm telling you I feel perfectly normal."

Jared and Ulrich exchanged glances and shrugged. "Fine, we can go, but if you start feeling worse, just say something and we'll stop and rest," Ulrich said.

Aelita stood up and smiled. "Ok, I will. Now, let's go. We left William and Jeremie up to fend for themselves."

-m-

"Woooo!" Odd shouted as he descended down the slope. "This is great!" He gracefully made every turn and even went over a few jumps to show off. "I haven't had this much fun since I went skiing when I visited my gran last year."

"That's great, Odd, but don't you think you're showing off a bit much," Yumi said as she rounded the corner after him.

"No way!" he said with a big smile. "I'm the king of the world!" Yumi shook her head slightly and took another corner.

Sissi and Kiptyn were a little ways behind them. As Yumi turned down the final corner, she saw the moguls. She bent her knees more and made it through without a problem. Odd tried jumping one, but found it too difficult and instead went through them but made it. They turned around and watched Sissi and Kiptyn come down. Sissi screamed as she saw them all, but made it down all the way without falling. Kiptyn skidded, hit a mogul, and nearly fell but caught himself at the last moment. He ended up finishing without falling.

"That was nearly impossible," Sissi stated. "How do they expect people to go fast down that thing and still stay up?"

"I don't know," Yumi said with a shrug.

"You just gotta be good, Sissi," Odd said and smiled from ear to ear, "like me."

"Oh, shut up, you. I didn't see you do anything fantastic," she insisted.

"That's because you were too far behind me to even see me at all. It's too bad because I was pretty amazing! I'm Odd the Magnificent!" Odd shouted.

Sissi went to knock him over, but Yumi put her arms out to stop them both. "You guys, just be glad you made it down. Who cares who did or didn't do whatever? I'm tired of your gloating, Odd. Let's head back up to the others. They'll be wondering what took us so long."

"Yeah, yeah. You guys are just envious of my awesomeness. When you want a lesson, just ask," he gloated with a smile and headed over to the lift.

Yumi rolled her eyes. "Don't mind him," she said to Kiptyn. "He gets like this some times. He'll stop after a while."

"He'll stop faster if someone shows him up," Kiptyn replied. Yumi looked at him with a smile and raised an eyebrow at him. "I have an idea."

-m-

"Jeremie, how are you doing?" Ulrich asked as they made their way over to him and William.

"Actually, I think I've accomplished moving," he said with a smile. Ulrich tried hard not to laugh.

"That's good, I guess. Let's see you go down this slope," he said and pointed to the bunny slope.

"I-I don't know. I haven't fully got my ski legs yet," he stuttered.

"Let's see, Jeremie," William said as he bent down to look at his legs. "Your legs look the same to me."

Everyone just rolled their eyes. "Just give it a go," Aelita said and headed down in front of him. Ulrich followed her and they both waited at the bottom.

"William, you can go meet them down there," Jared said. "I think Jeremie needs a push in the right direction."

"Really?" William asked. He came up behind Jeremie and pushed him forward down the hill.

Jared's eyes went wide. "That's not exactly what I meant." He scratched the back of his head nervously. "I'm sure he'll be fine."

"Was that not the right direction?" William asked cluelessly, and they both took off down the slope after Jeremie. He was screaming and his balance was off so he wobbled most of the way. A group of little girls, about 5-6 years old, laughed and pointed as they watched him go by.

"Look at the funny guy!" one of them shouted. Aelita and Ulrich tried not to laugh, but were unsuccessful. Jeremie ended up falling at the last minute.

"Jeremie, are you ok?" Aelita asked as she skied over to him, trying to muffle her laughter.

Jeremie wiped the snow out of his face and tried to stand up. "Could you help me?" he asked as he fell a second time.

Aelita snickered and took his hand. "Sure."

"Sorry about that, Jeremie," Jared said as he made it down. "I told William that you needed a push in the right direction, and he took it a little too literally."

Ulrich, Aelita, and Jeremie laughed at this. "Figures," Jeremie muttered as he got back up on his skis. "Let's just get back up to the top." They nodded and headed to the lift. Aelita and Ulrich went up together. Jared and Jeremie took the second chair. William came up by himself. Ulrich wasn't afraid of this lift because it was small and it wasn't very far to the top. As all of them got off, they pulled over to the side and decided to wait for Yumi and the others to get back from the Black Diamond trail.

They came back after a long while. Odd was frowning, and Kiptyn and the others were smiling.

"What happened to Odd?" Aelita asked.

Yumi laughed, "Kiptyn showed him what it's like to have someone better than him, and 'Odd the Magnificent' wasn't all that great." Everyone laughed and Odd scowled again.

"Yeah yeah, I just was thrown off balance, that's all," Odd said. "I can do better than that."

Yumi and the others shook their heads. Aelita smiled. _Same old Odd. _Then they all decided to go to lunch because it was nearly 12. Yumi called Hiroki, and he surprisingly picked up. "Hiroki? Are you skiing right now?" she asked. "I don't want you to crash."

"Sis, I'm on the ski lift right behind you. I'll be off in a second, and we can eat." He hung up.

Yumi turned around and noticed Hiroki wave to her from the ski lift. She shook her head and watched as they got off and skied over to them. "I've been doing really well," Milly said excitedly.

"That's good," Aelita said. "Are we ready to go eat?"

They all agreed, and they headed to the café to find some food. As they entered they recognized that it was a place where you got your food from various counters and paid for it before sitting down. They had places to get Mexican, American, and Italian foods, as well as a sushi bar, a soup and sandwich place, and a salad place. Odd about had a frenzy. He went from counter to counter grabbing a plate of spaghetti here, a bowl of soup there, a bowl of mashed potatoes from this place, and a soda from the fountain. Finally he grabbed a piece of chocolate cake and headed over to pay for his food. The rest of the group had an easier time picking out their food. Most only got one or two things, but Odd was fast, so they all sat down at relatively the same time. They chose two tables next to each other and pushed them together so that if they added a chair there was just enough room for 13.

"Odd," Aelita whispered nervously.

"Yeah?" he asked as he continued to wolf down his food.

"Odd, he's he's here," she said more insistently. "He's over there."

"Who is?" Odd asked as he stopped eating for a second to look over to where Aelita was looking. Over at a table a ways away, a boy was sitting with a few of his friends. He hadn't looked over yet, and his face was away from them, but Odd recognized him regardless of the fact that he couldn't see his face.

"Artemis."

Odd nodded. "What should we do?"

"I-I don't know," Aelita stammered nervously. "Don't make him come over here whatever you do. Don't go over there either. You heard what he said the last time. Odd, I don't know what to do. Do you think if we just act normal, he won't notice us?"

"I don't know," he whispered. "That's the best bet, I think."

She nodded and they just continued to eat and act normal. They socialized with the rest of the group at the table, and acted as if nothing was wrong. Out of the corner of her eye, Aelita watched Artemis at all times. She made sure that he wasn't getting up, moving toward her, or looking toward her or her friends. _Why are you worried anyway? You outnumber him and his friends 4:1. Think of the odds. If he actually tried to make a move, you have 12 people willing to back you up. Calm down, and enjoy your lunch. _She continued to eat. Near the end of the meal, Hiroki and his friends decided to leave to hit the slopes again. Yumi said he could go, but he didn't really wait for her response anyway. As they left, Aelita noticed Artemis look over her way. A smiled peered on his lips, and she quickly looked away. It was too late. Artemis had noticed her, and he knew that she knew that he was there.

"Odd. He knows I'm here," Aelita whispered discreetly.

"Are you sure?"

"I'm dead sure," Aelita whispered nervously. "What do we do now? Wait him out? Leave? Hide? Should I go to the restroom? You can call me when he gives up and leaves."

"No. For all I know, he would have no problem following you into the restroom. I don't want to take any chances. I don't want him to find a way to get to you," Odd said quietly. "Should we tell the others?"

"No!" she said a little too loud. She regained control of herself and whispered again. "Sorry. Don't worry them. Let's just make sure we leave in a group."

Odd nodded. When everyone was finished eating, they all headed out together. Artemis got up at the same time, and, along with his two friends, he followed Aelita and Odd outside.

"Wow, well if it isn't my favorite person in the world?" Artemis said cheerfully. Immediately Odd pushed Aelita behind him. Sissi and Kiptyn were confused. Aelita was scared out of her mind, and Odd, Yumi, and Ulrich knew exactly what was happening. Jared knew something was wrong, but he didn't know what. Jeremie and William were just as confused as Sissi and Kiptyn.

"What do you want, Artemis?" Odd asked plainly.

"I just wanted to say a friendly hello to my dear friend Aelita. Long time, no _see_. Eh, Aelita?" He smirked and licked his lips. "I just was wondering how she was doing."

"I'm sure you were," Odd said and got upset. He clamped his teeth down hard. "She's fine thanks. I guess you'll be going now."

"Oh, I know she's _fine_," he said and smirked again. Odd, Yumi, and Ulrich tensed up as they heard his double meaning. "How about we hang out, Aelita? Wouldn't you like to spend time with me?"

Aelita nervously shook slightly. "I-I'm busy right now. I'm not in the mood."

"Oh, come on, Aelita. We always have fun together." Artemis and his friends laughed together.

Ulrich took a step forward so that he was in line with Odd. "She said she doesn't want to hang out with you. Go away."

"Ulrich?" Jeremie started to ask.

"Stay out of this, Jeremie. You don't know what's going on." He looked from Artemis to his friends. "I told you guys to get out of here." It slowly started to snow. William looked up at the sky and watched the flakes start to fall, completely ignoring the stand off.

"I don't know. Maybe we should stick around and chat some more. You sound like a fun guy, Ulrich is it?" Artemis asked cockily.

"Just leave, Artemis, before things get messy," Ulrich said through gritted teeth. "Aelita obviously has said no."

He shrugged and looked around, noticing that he was outnumbered. "Fine, but I'm sure when we meet again, she'd love to hang out." He smirked and motioned for his friends to follow him. "I'll see you around, Aelita."

He walked away, carrying his skis with him. As soon as they were out of sight, everyone relaxed.

"What in the world was that?" Sissi asked.

"Nothing really," Odd said angrily. "He's just some guy who likes giving Aelita a hard time. He won't bother us anymore, I hope."

"Are you alright, Aelita?" Yumi asked and walked up to her and placed a hand on her shoulder.

Aelita nodded. "I'm fine. I guess I just tense up around him, after well everything."

"Yeah, I understand," Yumi said with a smile. "Now, are we going to just stand here or are we going to have some fun?"

They all perked up, and headed back toward the slopes. They skied for another hour until Jeremie had fallen so many times that he was sick of it. He muttered something about not wanting to ski in the first place. Sissi had started to get tired too, and she was also complaining a little about the snow that was falling in her hair. Jeremie stated that he wanted to rest a little while, and headed back into the café to relax and get a cup of coffee. Kiptyn offered to go back down with Sissi, and they headed back down the mountain. Now that Jeremie was gone, they went down harder slopes that just the bunny slope. Ulrich had a little difficulty, but no more than usual. Odd wasn't showing off as much either. They all seamed to have a good time. Hiroki called Yumi's phone around 2:30 and said that he, Milly, Tamiya, and Johnny were going back down. It had started snowing a little harder, and they had decided to head back. As more snow fell, William had a harder time staying on his skis. No one really wanted to stop, so they asked William if he could ski longer. He just muttered something about not having any longer skis. As they all knew they were either going to have to go back with William or go on the bunny slope, Jared offered to go back down with William.

"Are you sure you don't mind?" Aelita asked. "You really don't have to go."

"Yeah, I know," he replied. "I want to though. Well, what I mean is I want to help William. Although he's a little confused, he seems like a nice guy. Besides, I'm getting a little cold, and I think I'd better get going before I'm up here too late, and my family starts wondering where I went."

"Alright. Well, thanks," she said with a smile.

"No problem. Come on, William," he said, and they headed to the lift to go back down.

Jeremie met up with them about 30 minutes later. "It's really starting to snow. Do you want to call it a day?" he asked.

"No!" Odd shouted. "I haven't even gotten to…." He trailed off.

"Gotten to what?" Jeremie asked.

"Nothing," he muttered. "I just don't want to go, yet."

"Fine, we'll stay a little longer," Yumi said and sighed. "But, if this snow gets any worse, we're leaving."

After twenty more minutes of skiing, the wind had really picked up, and Odd was finally ready to leave. They headed back over to the lift. The conductor wasn't there, and the lift wasn't moving. They looked around a bit. "There's no one here," Aelita said.

"No really, I couldn't tell by the empty booth," Odd said sarcastically.

"No, I mean that there are no people here. Everyone is gone. It looks like we're the last people up here!"

They all looked around again, and it looked as if she was right. Everyone was gone. There weren't any people around any more, and the last time they had used a ski lift was over ten minutes ago. They had spent the last few using the restroom.

"Let's go check and see if there's anyone inside the café," Ulrich suggested. They headed over and pulled on the doors. They were locked. They checked the other side of the building, and those doors were locked as well. They checked the instructor's hut, and no one was in there either.

"What are we going to do?" Yumi asked. The wind picked up again, and the new snow lying on the ground spun up and swirled around.

"We're going back to the ski lift," Jeremie said defiantly.

"And do what, Einstein: turn it on ourselves?" Odd asked. "How?"

"No, we aren't turning it on by ourselves. We'll go see if there's some way we can call someone. You know, like an emergency phone," he said and Odd shut up.

"But, Jeremie, why did everyone leave in the first place. That guy said the lift closed at 7:30. It's only 4 o' clock. What happened?" Ulrich asked.

"I don't know, Ulrich. That's why we better hope that there's an emergency call phone," Jeremie said and headed over to the lift. He took of his skis and walked into the booth and found the phone easily because it was red.

"Hello, my name is Jeremie and I'm a guest at your resort. My friends and I were in the restroom, and when we came out we noticed that no one was around and that your lift has stopped. Is there any way that you can start the lift again so that we can get down?" he asked. There was a pause as he received the answer. "Yes, yes. I see. Yes, the doors to the café are locked. I see. Can't you start it back up for a little while? Yes, I see. I understand your predicament. I know a lot about meteorology. Yes. Oh, 14. Well, I'm bright for my age actually. Yes, I see. One moment."

"What is it, Jeremie?" Ulrich asked.

"They say they can't start the lift again. They're worried about the weather. They said that they had the top evacuated and they forgot to check the restrooms. I asked if they could start it for a while, just to get us down, but they said that the length is too long, and that it would just be too dangerous," Jeremie replied.

"Ok, well ask them what we should do," Yumi said.

Jeremie asked. "Yes. There are five of us. The youngest is 14 and the oldest is 15. Yes, we're all able of handling ourselves. Yes, well mostly. I don't know. No, none of us can drive legally."

"I could try!" Odd shouted, but they all shushed him quickly.

"Yes, yes. I understand. You'll get it up as soon as the weather passes. What should we do until then? Yes, we know the café is locked. Alright. I will. Ok, I'll be in touch in five minutes. We'll go check. Yes. Jeremie is correct. Ok. I'll be in touch, Armand. I'll call you in five minutes." He hung up the phone and turned to the others.

"What did he say, Jeremie?" Ulrich asked.

"He said that we need to check all of the buildings to see if anyone else is here, and we also need to look for food." They nodded and went their separate ways. Yumi and Aelita went together, and they guys went together. They checked every building they could get to on the top of the hill. They split up even more to cover more ground. When they returned, they discussed what they found.

"The girl's bathroom is empty, and there's nothing to eat in there. Not even in the cabinets," Aelita reported.

"The boy's bathroom is the same way," Ulrich said.

"Everything I checked was locked, although I did see some bottled water in one of the operator's booths," Yumi mentioned. "It's locked though."

"Well, I found some vending machines, but they're the kind that are hard to break into, and they're really expensive too," Odd muttered. "I don't know how much money you guys brought, but I've only got a little left."

"I couldn't find anything either," Jeremie said. "The only thing I didn't check was anything down a slope because I wasn't sure how to get back up."

"Good point," Ulrich said. "You better call that guy back."

Jeremie nodded. "Hello, Armand. Yes, this is Jeremie. We did as you instructed. There isn't anyone but us. The only food we found was in a vending machine, and frankly none of us have much money on us. Yes, we checked. Odd…err…my friend said it would be hard to break into. Yes. I see. Yes, the only buildings left unlocked are the restrooms. As far as I noticed, they don't seem to be heated. They're a little warmer than outside, but not much." He waited for a while. "Yes. I understand. We will. I'll call you in 30 minutes if the snow doesn't let up. Yes, we will. Goodbye, Armand." He hung up the phone.

"So, what do we do?" Yumi asked.

"We do nothing," Jeremie said. "He said that he can't do anything until the snow and wind let up. We're supposed to try and keep warm until the snow lets up. So, which restroom do you want to wait in?"

"You mean they can't come get us?" Ulrich asked. "Don't they have rescue services or something? You know jet skis or Saint Bernards or something?"

"Ulrich," Jeremie started. "I don't think all ski resorts have Saint Bernards on call 24/7. This isn't a movie."

Ulrich sighed. "Yeah, yeah. I know, but don't they have something?" Ulrich asked impatiently.

"Ulrich, they can't do anything until the snow stops," Jeremie said.

"Fine, then the girls'."

"What?" he asked confused.

"You asked which bathroom we're waiting in," Ulrich said. "The girls'."

"What?" Yumi asked suddenly. "Why ours? You probably just want to see the inside."

"No, actually. I just didn't think you'd want to stare at urinals the whole time, and besides don't girl restrooms have benches or seats in there sometimes?" Ulrich asked.

"Oh," Yumi said. "Yeah, I guess your right. I think I saw some in there actually. Let's go."

"Sweet!" Odd shouted excitedly. Everyone turned around and glared at him. "I meant yay for seats. Heh heh." They all rolled their eyes and headed toward the girls' restroom. "Gosh, you think people could take a joke."

**Well, I hope you liked it.  
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	43. Kill the Monotony and Not Yourself

**Well, sorry about the late update.  
Here's the two newest chapters.  
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Review for a preview of the next chapter.  
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**No Matter What They Say**

**Chapter 43: Kill the Monotony and Not Yourself**

Thirty minutes passed slowly. All five of them sat on the benches at the entrance to the restroom. They kept the door closed, but once and a while, a wind would come along that was so strong it opened the door. When that happened, they took turns getting up to lean against it to keep it closed. They kept their skis off while they were inside, although they left on the ski boots so as not to be in socked feet only. Odd tried to lighten the mood, but it didn't really work since everyone was upset with him as it was. Eventually he just stopped and sat there. They all just sat there without really saying much. Jeremie checked his watch and they still had ten more minutes before he was supposed to call them again.

Yumi sighed. "Well, I'm sick of this. Can't we do something except sit here miserably?"

"Like what?" Ulrich asked. "There's not much fun to have in a girls' restroom."

"Yeah, but you and Odd always find something to do," Yumi said again. "Can't you find something to do? Some kind of game we could play so that we don't get bored out of our minds? I'm already sick of this place."

"I don't know," Ulrich said. "Got any ideas, Odd?"

"We could pretend that the floor was lava, and we had to jump from place to place without touching it," he suggested.

"No, there's no where to go, and these boots would make us fall anyway," Ulrich replied. "Got anything else?"

"We could go on a scavenger hunt!" Odd shouted and gave a laugh of joy for once. He jumped up off of the bench and spun around in circles, almost tripping over his own feet because of the boots he was wearing.

"What kind of scavenger hunt?" Yumi asked.

"Oh, I don't know," he replied. "Look for where they hide the extra soap. Look for toilet paper. See if they hide things that people forget in one of these closets. Whoever finds the most interesting things wins. Sound good to you?"

Aelita, Yumi, and Ulrich shrugged. "Sounds better than doing nothing," Aelita said and she got up and started to open the cabinets under the sinks. Yumi looked in the tall closets beside the seats. Ulrich looked in some cabinets behind the door. Odd went straight to the stalls and looked around the toilets.

"I found a piece of candy!" Odd shouted.

"Eww, don't eat it," Aelita said as she continued to rummage through her cabinets. "I found some lemon scented lotion."

"I found a picture of some old lady in a cleaning uniform," Ulrich said and held it up as proof.

"Ulrich wins so far," Odd said. "Let's keep looking."

Yumi looked through her cabinet, finding only non useful things. There were only a few interesting items: an old brush with a flower painted on it, a box of Hello Kitty © Band-Aids, and a bottle of sunscreen. Nothing was good enough though.

"I found something," Aelita said as she pulled it out of the cabinet. "Someone must have forgotten these. Look at these cool sunglasses!" She put them on her face and smiled at everyone. Ulrich, Odd, Jeremie, and Yumi all spun around to look and couldn't help but laugh.

"You actually like those?" Jeremie asked. They were large and the lenses were shaped like flowers with a different color for each of the little petals.

Aelita nodded. "Don't you guys like them?"

Odd laughed again and fell to the floor. Yumi walked over and took them off her face. "How can I put this? They're original, but I don't think that they're your style."

"Aelita's winning!" Odd shouted between bursts of laughter.

"You guys don't like them?" Aelita asked again as Yumi placed them back under the cabinet.

Ulrich scratched the back of his head awkwardly as Aelita's gaze rested upon him. "Um, they're just not you. Let's keep looking."

"Yeah, ok," Aelita said and continued to search.

"Guys, look what I found back here!" Odd shouted from the fifth stall over. He pulled out a long slender pink tube. "It's a party popper! You know those things they have at parties with the confetti in them! Why would it be in here? And why isn't it rainbow like the other ones I've used at parties?"

Yumi, Ulrich, Aelita, and Jeremie looked over. Ulrich and Jeremie looked confused, and Yumi and Aelita immediately blushed. "Odd, you idiot!" Yumi shouted to him. "That's no party popper! Put that in the trash!" Ulrich turned to look at Yumi who was getting redder by the minute.

"Well, than what is it?" Odd asked. "Should I try it to see what it is?"

"Odd, you can't 'try it'. It's not for you. Just throw it away, and let's keep looking," Yumi said nervously and tried to get off the subject.

Odd was too dense to notice and continued to ask questions. "Well, why can't I try it? Who cares if it's not for me? Someone left it, and it hasn't been used, so why shouldn't I be able to use it?" he asked continuing to look it over as if to find a special secret that Yumi wasn't telling him.

"Odd, Yumi's right, just put it down," Aelita said and blushed.

"But, it's never been used!" Odd said insistently.

"Yeah, and you should be glad it hasn't been," Yumi said and shook her head. "Just hand it over, and I'll throw it away if you don't want to."

Odd stared at her skeptically. "Why? What is it anyway?"

Yumi glanced over to Aelita, and Aelita looked over to Yumi. They held each others gaze for a minute before Aelita just shrugged. "Tell him. It's better if he knew. I mean, I don't care. I'm surprised Jeremie doesn't know what it is," Aelita said and looked toward Jeremie to see if he had any more clue than Odd.

"Come on, Yumi! Aelita said you could tell me! Tell me already!" Odd insisted. "Please? Come on. Tell me, or show me how to use it!"

Aelita and Yumi blushed for a second, but then started laughing. "Yumi, just put him out of his misery," Aelita said in between laughs.

"Fine, but I'm definitely not showing you how to use it," Yumi said and sighed. "It's a tampon."

Odd's face went white, and he looked back down at it again. "Oh…. Well, um, yeah ok."

Aelita and Yumi laughed again at Odd's reaction. "How did you not know what it was, Jeremie? You know practically everything," Ulrich asked.

"If there's one thing I don't want to know about, it's how a girl functions," Jeremie said and blushed.

Odd placed the tampon in the trashcan. "Let's start playing again," he said to get everyone off the subject.

Everyone shrugged and started looking again. "At least we didn't have to tell him what it's for," Aelita whispered to Yumi. Yumi smiled and nodded.

The rest of the time before Jeremie was supposed to call them back went quickly. Aelita ended up winning with the sunglasses, although Ulrich came close with a pacifier that was shaped like a butterfly. Jeremie called them over to the door before he went out and told them all exactly what he was going to do before he did it. He got on his skies, and was about to go, but Yumi insisted that someone should go with him because it would be safer that way. They all agreed, and Yumi put her skis on to go with him. They promised to get back as soon as they could. The others nodded and headed to the back of the restroom so they could stay as warm as they could. Then, Yumi and Jeremie headed out to the phone.

"How long do you think they'll be gone?" Aelita asked as the door shut tight and they walked back to the benches.

"I don't know. I don't know how bad it is out there," Ulrich said. "Besides, they might be able to get the ski lift working, and in that case, it might be longer."

Aelita nodded. "I just hope they'll come back together."

-m-

As soon as Yumi and Jeremie went outside, they were struck by a fierce cold wind that nearly knocked them over. Yumi charged ahead, using her poles to support her. Jeremie tried to mimic her moves, and followed closely behind. It wasn't too far to the phone, and once they were inside the booth, they'd be able to relax a little. They made it there after a whole five minutes of struggling against the wind and snow. At least now, they had a wall blocking part of the wind. Yumi and Jeremie huddled close to the phone as to minimize the amount of wind hitting them. Jeremie called, and almost immediately, someone answered the phone.

"Yes, this is Jeremie. I'm here. Yes, we're all still fine. No, it's worse up here too. Yes. Yes, I see. One moment." He turned toward Yumi. "He says it's getting dangerous for us to be out here, even to call him in this weather. He says that something needs to be done, or we'll need to take a different action to get in contact with him."

"Well, give him your cell number," Yumi muttered through chattering teeth.

He nodded. "I can give you my cell number. Yes. I see. And, is there anything else we can do? I understand your choice. Yes. Ok, hold on." He got out his cell. "Yes. I'm ready. Yes, ok. I've got it." He put away his phone and in turn gave his own number. "Alright. We'll keep in contact this way from now on. Yes, I understand what I should in an emergency. Yes, I understand."

-m-

"Ulrich, I'm getting hungry," Odd complained and held his stomach. Why doesn't this restroom have any food in it?"

"Oh, I don't know, Odd. Maybe, because it's a restroom!" Ulrich said sarcastically in annoyance.

"Do you have any food on you?" he asked desperately. "It's already passed 5."

"Odd, you'll just have to wait because I don't have any food on me," Ulrich stated. "Maybe, Jeremie will have some. You can ask him when he gets back."

"Uhh," he groaned. "I can't wait that long. Aelita?"

"No."

"But, I didn't even say anything," he said.

She turned toward him and gave a slightly sympathetic smile. "I don't have any food on me," she said. He looked at her with puppy dog eyes. "I'll check my pockets," she said in annoyance. She pulled everything out and placed it on the seat next to her. There were a few things. "The only things I have are a couple of bills, a few coins, my phone, my room key, and some lip gloss, none of which are eatable. Sorry."

"But, you said you have lip gloss. What flavor is it?"

"Odd! You are not going to eat my lip gloss. That's disgusting, and frankly really weird," she said and put everything back into her pocket.

"Yeah, but what flavor is it?" he insisted.

"You are not eating my lip gloss!" she shouted. "You are not that hungry! You'll live without eating!"

"Just tell me the flavor!" he shouted.

"Ugh! It's pink grapefruit, and it's new!" she shouted and glared at him.

His stomach growled. "Awww. I love pink grapefruit. That sounds soo good. Oh, come on, Aelita. Can't I just have a taste?"

"Odd!" she shouted and shook her head.

"Odd, you're being ridiculous," Ulrich said with a sigh. "You'll live for another 30 minutes without eating."

"In fact, you won't die from lack of food in the next few weeks. Most can survive without food for a whole 5-6 weeks. Well, in this case, since it's cold maybe closer to 4-5 weeks, and since you've got less to nothing in body fat, maybe more like 4. Also, you've got a high metabolism and you're used to eating high quantities of food, so you might last more around 3-4 weeks, that is, if you don't exercise and move so much," Aelita said with a sigh. "Regardless, you're good for another 3 weeks if we have to be."

Odd groaned and crossed his arms. "I just wanted a taste," he muttered.

-m-

"Yes, I understand. I'll call you sometime later tonight before it gets too late. Yes. Yes, I will. Yes. Goodbye, Armand," Jeremie said. He turned to Yumi. "We can go now."

"Well, what did he say?" she asked.

"I'll tell you when we get back to the others," he said. "I don't want to have to explain twice. Besides, it's not like the information can't wait."

"So we'll be up here for a little longer then?" she asked. He nodded. "I guess there's no hurry to get back then."

"The only reason I can see is to get out of this snow."

"Yeah," she said with a sigh. "Let's go." He nodded, and they started to head back through the wind and snow.

-m-

"Hey, Aelita?" Odd asked.

"No."

"You didn't let me finish," he said.

"Whatever it is the answer is no," she said with a sigh. She was getting a little annoyed by Odd. His hunger was eating at him, and he was starting to get a little restless. He was lying on the floor with his legs on the seat.

"Come on, Aelita!" Odd said again. "Just hear me out."

"No, I will not let you eat my lip gloss. It's not good for you, and I use it. Just give up," she insisted. "When Jeremie and Yumi come back, we can possibly try and get something out of those vending machines."

"Aelita, can't I just have a taste? I love grapefruits!"

"Odd," Ulrich groaned. "Stop. Your complaining is getting on my nerves. Think of something better to do with your time." Ulrich lied down on the bench and closed his eyes. "Jeremie and Yumi should be back in a few minutes."

"Aelita? Could you…?"

"No. Stop asking," she said exasperatedly. He sighed.

"How often do you wear that lip gloss?" he asked.

"I just got it when I went ice skating with Yumi," she said. "I'm wearing some right now." She licked her lips to see if it was still there. "Yeah, I've got it on right now. Though, it doesn't feel as glossy as it used to."

Odd's eyes lit up. He pulled his feet down off of the bench and looked toward Ulrich. His eyes were closed. He looked over to Aelita. She raised her eyebrow at him and smiled as she shook her head. He got up and sat next to Aelita. "Are you bored?" he asked.

"I don't know. I'm not usually too bored. I can always think about something to get my mind working," she said with a shrug.

"Yeah, yeah. Sure you can. You're not having much fun, though," Odd said. "You're just sitting here. That's not much fun."

"Yeah, but there's not much to do in a restroom anyway," she said. "When Yumi and Jeremie get back, we'll do something. We can go try to get you some food if you want."

"Oh, it's alright. I'm glad I'm here with you at least," he said with a smile and pulled her hand into his. He intertwined his fingers with hers and placed them on his lap.

"Well, I'm glad," she said with a smile. "You'll get food eventually."

"Yeah, I guess so." He scooted closer to her. His leg brushed against hers, and she blushed slightly as she recalled what had happened two nights ago in one of the lounges. Her legs were fully covered in not one pair of pants but two, and yet, she still blushed. Odd pretended not to notice and gave her a sweet smile. Aelita quickly got lost in her thoughts of two nights ago, and her eyes softened to Odd's face. She smiled and instinctively moved closer to him. He moved closer as well until their lips were inches apart. Aelita slowly turned her head, and her eyes fluttered closed. Odd turned his head and moved in to fill the remaining gap. He closed his eyes and pressed his lips firmly to hers. He opened his mouth and their lips tangoed with each other. _Mmmm, her lips do taste like pink grapefruit. _They both felt like the only ones in the room. Odd got lost, not only in the flavor of her lip gloss, but in Aelita's presence as well. He pulled her closer to him, and kissed her more passionately.

Ulrich heard a noise and opened his eyes and looked over to see his two friends practically making out on the bench next to him. His mouth dropped open as he was about to say something, but then thought the better of it and didn't say anything. He thought that he wouldn't want anyone disrupting him if it were him so he left them alone. He smiled as he lied back down and closed his eyes again.

Aelita wrapped her arms tightly around his neck and pulled her lips tighter to his so that they were warmer than they had been all night. Odd's hand trailed up her back, and as he rubbed her back, he pulled her close enough so that she was nearly a part of him and not some separate entity. After another minute, Aelita's kiss lost fire, and she pulled out.

"Sorry," she whispered. "I just feel awkward with Ulrich here."

"Oh, yeah. Yeah, I understand. Sorry about that," he muttered and let go of her. He scooted himself back away from Aelita. "I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. I wasn't thinking well. Sorry. I'll try not to do it again." He knew how new Aelita was at everything and didn't want to make things between them awkward. He knew that he should take things slower than he wanted to. He knew that he should always make sure Aelita was ok with everything he did before he did too much.

"Oh, I didn't mean to seem so abrupt or unfeeling about it. It's just that I don't know if I'm ready for public displays of affection," she said and gave him an awkward smile.

"Ok. PDAs are out. Got it," he said firmly. "All of them?"

"PDAs? What do you mean all of them?" she asked confused.

"You know: public displays of affection, PDAs. If you don't want me to kiss you in public, can I still hold your hand and stuff like that?" he asked with a smile. "Innocent stuff?"

"Oh. I guess that's fine. I wouldn't feel too awkward doing that," she said with a smile. "That should be fine." She leaned closer and pressed her lips to his ear. "And when we're alone, we can do other things."

Odd blushed slightly and smiled. She pulled away from him again. She smiled and blushed as she stood up. She walked over to the mirror and checked to see if her lip gloss was smeared. Odd lied back on the ground and placed his legs back up onto the chair. The water turned on, and about the same time, Ulrich opened his eyes and looked over to Odd.

"Have fun?" he asked.

Odd looked over at Ulrich. "Oh, you saw that, did you? I thought your eyes were closed. Well, whatever. Did you enjoy the show?"

Ulrich shook his head and rolled his eyes. "I only looked over once. I didn't stare at you guys the whole time."

"Well, that's good, I guess," Odd said and held his stomach as it growled. "When's Jeremie going to get back?"

Right about that time, the door opened, and Jeremie and Yumi entered. "Good call, Odd," Ulrich said with a half-smile. Ulrich sat up and helped Yumi and Jeremie close the door as they removed their skis. Odd looked up at them from the ground and decided to actually get up. He stood up and sat down on the bench with the others. Yumi rubbed her arms and sat down next to Ulrich, sitting a little closer than she normally would.

"So, Jeremie," Aelita asked as she sat down, "what's the plan?"

"Well, Armand told me that we should try and stay out of the weather. It's too dangerous for us to be out there. He even gave me his cell number so we wouldn't have to go back out to the emergency phone. He's concerned that we'll get injured or get stranded out there. He also said that there's no chance of reopening the ski lift tonight. It's just too dangerous," Jeremie said firmly. "We'll have to stay inside."

"Ugh!" Odd groaned. "Fine, if we can't go out, please tell me you have food on you!"

Jeremie felt his pockets. "No, I'm sorry, Odd. I don't have anything on me. We'll be fine for a few weeks regardless."

"I can't stand it though!" Odd shouted. "I'm going to get food whether or not you want to come!" He stood up and quickly put on his skis. Aelita got up and barricaded the door. "Move, Aelita."

"Odd, you are not going out there if Jeremie says it's too dangerous." She glared sharply at him. "You are not going to do something foolish and risk your own life."

"Aelita, I risk my life all the time."

"Aelita's right, Odd," Yumi said. "Besides, we all know that's not the same thing. This is not a life or death situation. You'll survive for another day. Just take the skis off and sit down. There's no need to get worked up."

He looked around at his friends. He shook his head forcefully, and pushed Aelita just hard enough that she'd move out of the way. "I've got to get food, Yumi. There's no other way." He opened the door and quickly headed out toward the vending machines.

Aelita quickly got into her skis, and headed out after him.

"Aelita, no!" Yumi shouted, but Ulrich restrained her.

"We can't have more than that out there," Ulrich said. "She's already gone, and we don't want anyone else out there."

Yumi nodded. "I just hope they both come back."

-m-

"Odd!" Aelita shouted after him. She tried to look where she was going and not get blown over. "Odd!"

Odd heard a noise behind him and turned around to see Aelita struggling after him. "Aelita, you said it yourself! It's not safe out here! Go back!"

She shook her head and continued forward. "Not without you, Odd!" She struggled against the wind.

His thoughts contradicted each other. He shook his head. "I've got to get something to eat!"

"Then, I'm coming with you!" she shouted as she got closer to him. His face looked pained, but he nodded. She hurried as fast as she could against the wind and snow to meet up with him. She almost fell over multiple times. She eventually made it to Odd though, and they headed toward the vending machines.

-m-

"They've been gone for a long time," Yumi said nervously. "I hope they're ok." She pulled herself into Ulrich and wrapped her arms around his waist.

He wrapped his arm around her and smiled hopefully. "I'm sure they'll be back soon," he stated firmly. "It doesn't take too long to get food."

"It's just, the wind is really strong out there, Ulrich," Yumi said. "I'm worried that something is going to happen."

"I'm sure everything will be alright," Ulrich said encouragingly. His smile never wavered although he wasn't sure of his own words. He was just as nervous as she was. "Everything will be alright, won't it, Jeremie?"

"Yeah," Jeremie said nervously. "Aelita's always careful."

Yumi pulled herself closer to Ulrich. "Yeah, Aelita may be careful, but that wind is sometimes too much to handle," she whispered.

They all sat in anticipation as they waited for their friends to return. Suddenly after a few minutes of suspense, Odd burst through the door, throwing various food items onto the ground. He was in tears and everyone knew something was wrong.

"Odd, where's Aelita?" Ulrich asked quickly.

Odd looked up through his snow covered, tear stained face to look at the others. "I'm I'm so sorry. I didn't know what to to do. It was too fast, and I just couldn't catch…her…in…time," he stammered through sobs.

Ulrich pulled away from Yumi and helped Odd to a seat. Then, he closed the door behind him. "Odd, what happened? Where's Aelita?

"I'm sorry," he stammered.

"Odd, where is she?" Yumi asked.

"There was this big gust of wind, and I tried to hold on, and she reached, but I was just too far, and she she she slipped down, and I couldn't see. I went over, and she was at the bottom. I I I couldn't get her out because she was to far down, and she shouted up to get help. We've got to go help her. I couldn't reach her, and she she can't get up," he stammer in between sobs. He looked to all of the others desperately. "We've got to go help her."

Jeremie looked shocked. "Is Aelita at the bottom of a ski slope?"

Odd nodded and cried harder. "I couldn't get her out."

Yumi's eyes widened. "How are we supposed to get her? The ski lifts don't work. This is terrible," she said and placed her head into her hands. "How are we supposed to get her without those or a rope or anything?"

Ulrich took a deep breath and nodded to himself. "We go down after her."

Yumi's eyes widened even more, and everyone stared over at Ulrich. "You're kidding, right? How does that help?" Yumi asked.

Ulrich looked determined. "Odd, here's what we've got to do. We'll round up as many towels and blankets and anything else warm that we can find in this restroom. Then, we'll go to the men's and round up the same type of things. Once we have everything, we'll use the restroom so we won't have to later. Then, we'll pack all of this food into one of the blankets or towels and tie it so that the food doesn't come out. Once we do this, we'll take some and head out toward the slope that Aelita is down. We'll go down the slope, and once we're there, we'll try and scope out the area to find a place to stay. There's no hope of getting Aelita back up here. The only thing we can do is go down there and keep her safe and warm." Odd nodded as if to say he understood. Ulrich turned toward Yumi. "You and Jeremie can stay here and keep warm. When the rescue team comes to get you, call us and we'll tell you where we are. This way-."

Yumi shook her head and cut him off. "No, Ulrich, I'm not letting you go without me. I'm going with you. You're not leaving me here."

"Yumi, think about this. You'd be out in the cold for hours, maybe even days, without feeling heat or getting a lot of food. It would be really dangerous, and you'd have to be able to stand the hunger and cold."

She shook her head. "I don't care. I'm not letting you go without me. You can't leave me here." She moved closer to him and shook her head again. "I'm going whether or not you want me to go." She leaned in and kissed him. "You can't get rid of me over a little bad weather."

Ulrich smiled. "Alright. If I can't make you stay, I'm glad to have you with me."

Jeremie contemplated quickly and nodded. "I'm going too. We're all in this together, and I want to help Aelita. If one of us is going, we might as well all go."

Ulrich smiled. "We'll then, let's get going." They all smiled and headed off to find and do what needed to be done.

**I hope you liked it.**


	44. Find a Way

**Same as last chapter.  
Enjoy.  
Review for a preview.**

**No Matter What They Say**

**Chapter 44: Find a Way**

~Flashback (Aelita: Pov)~

_"Stay there, Aelita. I'm going to get help! Just stay calm! Jeremie will know what to do!" Odd shouted from the top of the slope. The wind came down into my face, blowing snow everywhere and making it very hard to see. _

_"Ok!" I shouted up to him. _Hopefully he hears me. _He looks so far away. I must be 1000 ft down or more. _

_"Don't worry! I'll be right back. Just try to stay warm!" It was the same old Odd. Even in the worse circumstances, he gives the most ridiculous advice. He went off into the snow until I could no long see him. It was a terrible fall, and I'm not sure I can even move too far. I sighed and looked around. There wasn't anything around except trees and a useless ski lift. I sighed again and hugged my arms to try and keep warm._

~End Flashback~

Aelita: Pov

That was a while ago when Odd left. It's been at least 30 minutes, but I can't tell too well because the sun isn't out, and everything looks the same. It might have been over an hour by now. I'm starting to get really cold. I wonder if this is how Odd felt in the snow all alone. I wonder if he felt hurt and alone like I do, not to mention freezing. I really just want to fall asleep, but I know that if I do fall asleep, I might not wake up. The best thing for me to do is to try and move my limbs to keep my blood circulating. I slowly stretched out my legs in front of me. It feels good to stretch out. I crunched my legs up and moved them back out, trying to get the blood to start flowing. I moved my arms back and forth, bending them at the elbows. They felt alright like nothing is broken. I really hope Odd and the others will come back soon with help. I don't know how much longer I can stand this cold. I bent down and unhitched my skis from my feet. Then I slowly pulled myself against the wind and stood up. I've got to try something. I looked up at the slope in front of me and started to try to get up it. It was steep, my boots kept slipping, and the wind was working against me. There was no hope of me ever reaching the top. I put my skis back on my feet, and headed over toward the trees. I know Odd told me not to leave, but I had to try to find a way back up the slope. I took off my skis, as they would get in the way of the trees, and headed around a big tree. As I headed into the trees, I noticed that the snow was still able to blow through and that these trees would not provide much shelter at all. I continued to head into the trees, trying to find a way back up to the top. I stumbled over the tree roots and snow banks. I was pushed down by the winds. I couldn't find any way to get up. As I was about to come to a conclusion that I wouldn't find a way back up, I found something nearly as good. I came to an area where two large pieces of the mountain came together. It was a small cave with a little snow at the entrance, but none on the inside. I went in, and noticed that it wasn't very large. I had to crouch to go in, and I couldn't go in very far before it got very small. At the very back, there was a smaller tunnel around a foot in diameter leading farther back. I couldn't have fit in if I tried so I sat down at the back wall. I noticed that the wind and snow, although they could still be felt, were not as harsh in this little cave. It was still freezing, but I didn't have to deal with the constant sting of snow hitting my face. I decided that this was a good find, and headed back before Odd was going to get there and worry about me.  
I got back, and neither Odd nor any of the others were there. I sat back down where I had landed the first time, and tried to shield my face of the snow. I was sitting for who knows how much longer before I heard something above me. It was probably 10 minutes if I was guessing.

"Aelita! I brought the others! We don't think we can get you back up! Have you tried climbing?" Odd shouted down toward me. I sighed as I realized he was probably right. They didn't have any rope or ladders.

"Yes!" I shouted. "I can't make it! It's alright! Just try and stay warm! I'll be fine!" I guess I'll have to use the cave I found. It'll be plenty big enough for me.

"Aelita!" Ulrich shouted this time. He really had brought the others. "We're coming down there!"

"No! You'll just get stuck like me!" I shouted. "I'll be fine! Just stay up there!"

"No, Aelita!" Odd shouted back down to me. I strained to see him through the snow and wind. It was hard, but I caught a glimpse of his pointed hair. Suddenly, a big gust of wind came that nearly knocked my over. The wind was starting to pick up. The snow was starting to sting even more. "I won't leave you again."

"Odd, don't be stupid! Just stay up there! I'll be fine. When the rescue team comes, you can call me, and then you can come get me! Until then, stay up there where it's warm!" I pleaded to him to stay where he was. I shielded my face with my arm. I really don't want him to have to endure the cold again.

"No, Aelita! I want to be with you!" he shouted. I shook my head, regardless of the fact that he couldn't see me.

"No, Odd!" I pleaded again. "Please stay there!" I was about to cry, but I quickly wiped the tears out of my eye in case it would freeze. I was torn between two desires: the desire to have Odd wrap him arms around me and keep me warm and the desire to have Odd stay warm and be happy. "I want you to." There was no way he could have heard the last part.

"No, Aelita!" he shouted. He just couldn't lose could he? He turned away so that his back was toward me. He must be talking to the others, trying to decide what to do. "Aelita!" He shouted back at last. "Aelita, I can't stand this! I'm coming down there!"

"No, Odd!"

"Aelita! I love you, and I don't care about the cold!" he shouted. I watched as he skied down the best he could. He was carrying something with him. He stopped a little ways away from me and he came toward me as fast as he could. Careful as not to get what he was holding wet, he wrapped his arms around me.

"You're so stupid, Odd! Why did you do that?" I asked him. "You were safe up there."

"I wanted to be with you!" he said with a big cheesy smile. The next thing I knew, the others came down and met us at the bottom.

"What are you all doing?" I asked them. "I told you, I'd be fine."

Yumi smiled. "We wouldn't leave you here alone Aelita. We're friends. We stick together. Now, here. Take this." She handed me a rather large towel. I took it and wrapped it around my arms.

"I went to look around, and I think I found something that would be of use to us," I said. I told them about the cave, and they were all in agreement. I led them back to where I remembered it was. We all left our skis behind at the edge of the forest. I took them to it, and we all went in. There wasn't much room at all, especially with all of us in it. We were all able to sit in it if we crossed our legs. We'd have a terrible time sleeping. We all shrugged, saying that we'd worry about it when the time came. They showed me what they had brought. Odd had been carrying a towel full of the food that we bought before I fell. Yumi and Ulrich both brought stacks of towels and blankets. They had actually been able to find a blanket in the restroom. Jeremie had brought hand sanitizer and another few blankets. I wasn't sure why he brought the hand sanitizer, but I didn't question it. I was just glad to have them with me. My friends were going to bare the cold for me.

I smiled and tried to scoot over to keep Odd out of the entrance. He had insisted that he should sit in the entrance. He said that he was able to stand the cold. I didn't believe him, but there was no changing his mind. Jeremie was to my right and Odd was to my left. I tried not to squish either of them, and I made myself as small as I possibly could. Odd smiled at me from under his towel. We all had one. Actually, I had two, despite much protest. Jeremie and the others decided that we'd save the blankets for later when it got darker and colder. Also, Ulrich set up food rations so that we wouldn't eat too much all at once. Since Odd and I had gotten quite a bit of durable and sharable food like peanuts, cheese and crackers, some chips, and trail mix, we were able to divide each package between all of us. We all ate the chips first, and after we were finished we placed the trash in the back of the cave. Odd's stomach growled every so often, but he didn't complain nearly as much. I was proud of him. Jeremie and Odd got along well enough for the most part too. There were only a very few squabbles, and they were ended quickly. I was actually happy for once. It wasn't the best experience, but I was actually happy.

"Aelita, are you feeling ok?" Odd asked and I turned to look at him for the first time in a while. He smiled at me with one of his genuine smiles. There was snow in his hair and his teeth were chattering, but he didn't complain.

"Yes, Odd. I'm feeling fine. Aren't you getting cold?"

"Nope. I'm O-Odd the invenci-cible," he said through chattering teeth. He was lying, and I knew it, but I let it go. I'd much rather have him feel invincible than complaining. I smiled and nodded.

"That's good," I said and he smiled again. I looked around. Yumi and Ulrich were huddled together. Yumi's head was rested in the crevice between his shoulder and chin. Her eyes were fluttering closed and then opening wide as if she was trying to stay awake.

"Yumi," I called over to her. "Try and stay awake." She opened her eyes wider, blinked a couple of times, and nodded. Ulrich didn't look like he was tired, and so he tried to keep Yumi awake. He turned is head slightly and began whispering to her.

Jeremie was examining the cave wall for who knows what, so I wasn't worried about him either. He would probably be looking at that for a while. Jeremie was always intrigued by new surroundings and findings. That doesn't worry me. I know that that is just Jeremie. I know that he won't fall asleep too soon. I'm slightly worried about Yumi, but I know Ulrich will be there to keep her awake when she needs to be. Just looking over at them makes me feel happy. They look so cute together. Yumi's never looked so happy as when she's around Ulrich. This is probably the happiest I've seen Ulrich look as well. They're snuggled up together, and they look as if they'll be that way for a while. It makes me smile to just see them that way.

I looked over to Odd again, and realize that he's the one that I'm most worried about. He's still sitting in the entrance, and I'm sure that by now his back is frozen. His head is drooping, and I know that he's going to fall asleep soon. "Odd, scoot over here," I said as I motioned to a spot closer to me. He looked up and noticed as I smiled over his way. He scooted a little closer too me, but not much. Instead of asking again, I reach out from under my blanket, well actually towel, and grasp his hand in mine. He smiled as I pulled his hand and moved him closer. He was a little further out of the snow and wind but not completely.

"Odd, why do you desire to torture yourself?" I asked him and shook my head.

"What d-d-do you mean, Aelita?" he asked. Whether he actually knows what I'm talking about or not is a mystery, but I shook my head again.

"Why are you staying in the cold?" I asked more directly.

"Oh, well, I figured that I'm the best to do the job. I mean, I don't want you out there." He smiled ridiculously.

"Odd, you don't have to do that for me. You freezing to death isn't going to make anything better," I said with a small chuckle.

He shrugged. I pulled him closer to me so that his leg was pulled right up to mine. Then, I grabbed his arm and scooted him a little more so that our arms were bumping, and either I had to place my arm in him lap, or he had to place his in mine. He smiled as his back was mostly on the cave wall now instead of out in the snow. He placed my arm under his towel and into his lap with a smile. A chill ran up my arm. I don't think it was from the cold either. I smiled and probably blushed. I felt warmth race up through my cheeks so I'm pretty sure that I'm blushing. Underneath his towel, Odd was playing with my hand. He ran his fingers down mine and traced pictures on my palm. I smiled again and blushed again. If he noticed, he didn't say anything. I sighed to myself and melted into the feeling of his hands running over mine. I looked around, but everyone else seemed to be preoccupied to notice what we were doing. Besides, to them it looked as if we were doing nothing. The towels cover us both. I shook my head of the feeling that we were doing something wrong and just started to enjoy myself for once.

End Aelita: Pov

Jeremie continued to stare at the wall of the cave. _Stupid cave. Wall's made of Breccia. Boring. _Jeremie thought to himself. He was starting to get annoyed by being stuck in the cave cramped against the back wall. _If it had only been something better like flint or limestone or something good, it would be easier to stay interested. Besides, Aelita's all over Odd. Well, practically. She's been pulling him closer to her since we came in here. If she's going to be like that, the least she could do would be to scoot a little farther away from me. She's practically pressed up against me. _Jeremie sighed quietly and pretended to be interested in the wall again. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Aelita and Odd smiling at each other. He picked at the wall and rolled his eyes again. _Get over it. You already told her that you'd be ok with this. You told her that she could be with Odd. Besides, who cares anyway? I sure don't. I don't like Aelita. I don't like her anymore. Oh, who am I kidding? _He sighed again. _I'll never get over her. _

Yumi and Ulrich were still huddled together. Ulrich continued to whisper in her ear, and Yumi continued to smile and melt into his arms. "I'm actually glad I came," Ulrich whispered. "I now get to spend all this time with you that I never would have if I hadn't come. I never would have thought that it would be a good thing to get caught in a blizzard." He pressed his lips to the top of her head. "I love you," he whispered sweetly. Yumi smiled and melted closer to him. She had his hand in hers. She had placed it in her lap earlier and now continued to rub the back of his hand with her thumb.

With Ulrich whispering to Yumi, and Odd and Aelita just happy to be sitting next to each other, Jeremie was by himself and starting to go insane. "Ok, guys, I think it's time to have another snack," Jeremie said just trying to get their attention away from each other.

"Oh, yummy!" Odd shouted and laughed. He pulled his hand out of Aelita's and pulled the towel down off him so he could have access to the food Jeremie was distributing. "All we get's a cracker with cheese? Come on, Jeremie." He looked down at the cracker disappointedly.

"That's all, Odd," he said defiantly. Odd sighed, but began to nibble on his cracker. _As long as he's occupied with that, his hands will be to himself and not around Aelita,_ Jeremie thought with a smile. He began to chew his own cracker. Everyone could hear Odd's stomach grumble as he finished. Odd wrapped one arm around his stomach and licked the fingers of his other hand to get all of the cheese off. Aelita looked over at him licking his fingers and crinkled her nose slightly. She looked down at her hand and brought it closer to herself and further away from Odd. _Good. Now she doesn't even want to hold his hand. Ha, my plan's working. _Jeremie smiled to himself.

"Aelita?" Odd asked and looked at her with puppy dog eyes.

"No, Odd," Aelita started firmly, "you may not have my cracker."

He grumbled a little. "But, you haven't eaten it," he said with a sigh. "I mean, I want you to have it first, but if you're just going to let it sit there, you might as well give it to me, right?" He eyed the cracker sheepishly.

Aelita rolled her eyes. "No, Odd. You had one already."

Odd's stomach growled. "But, why aren't you eating it? It's really good and cheesy."

Aelita rolled her eyes again. "I will." She took a small bite and chewed slowly.

Jeremie smiled to himself. _This is better than I expected. _Jeremie continued to smile as he watched Aelita roll her eyes at Odd again. They didn't speak for a long while. Aelita eventually finished her cracker, and so did everyone else. Odd looked hungrily over to Aelita who in turn looked away from Odd. Jeremie smiled at Aelita and she actually smiled back at him.

"Well, Aelita, are you feeling warmer?" Jeremie asked with a cheery smile.

"Yes, thank you," she said politely. "It was very nice for all of you to come down here to be with me even though you didn't have to."

"We wanted to. We all thought that it'd be best to stay together. Besides, Aelita, I wouldn't feel good knowing that you were all alone trying to survive in this weather. Who knows how bad it'll get before the night ends?" he asked looking out toward the entrance of the cave. "Well, did you have fun skiing while it lasted?"

Aelita nodded. "Yes, it was very exciting once I learned. I'm sorry you didn't enjoy yourself more."

Jeremie shrugged. "I'm glad you enjoyed yourself. I was never one for sports. You know me. I'm just glad I didn't break a bone."

Aelita and Jeremie continued to chat together, meanwhile Odd was fuming. His face was red and angry, and he practically had steam coming out of his ears. Aelita had been ignoring him for a constant 30 minutes to talk to 'the enemy'. He crossed his arms and glared ahead of him. Whenever he turned to talk to Aelita, she always seemed like she hadn't heard him or just didn't want to talk to him. He looked over to Yumi and Ulrich. Yumi and Ulrich were still sharing their blankets, and to him, it looked as if Yumi still had Ulrich's hand. He sighed and crossed his arms tighter. Ulrich looked up from where he and Yumi were sitting and looked to Odd.

"What's wrong, Odd?" Ulrich asked quietly.

"Nothing, Ulrich. Mind your business, why don't you?" Odd retorted sharply.

"Gosh, touchy much? Is this because of Aelita?" Ulrich asked quietly. "Are you jealous?" He raised his eyebrow at him.

Odd immediately glared and slightly blushed. "No, I am not jealous," he lied. "I'm just, well, I'm just still hungry, that's all." Ulrich rolled his eyes and shrugged slightly.

"Whatever you say, Odd," he said and turned his attention back to Yumi.

Odd grumbled to himself and looked over at Aelita again. She was still deep into a conversation with Jeremie. _How can they suddenly become friends again just like that? That's ridiculous. Besides, Jeremie has hardly said a word in edgewise to me. It's not like we're buddies all of a sudden. What's his big idea anyway? _Odd looked skeptically over to Jeremie. His eyes narrowed until he saw Jeremie reach up and touch Aelita's face. Odd's eyes went wide. When Aelita didn't pull away, he got even more upset and turned into himself and just tried to ignore them both. _Stupid Jeremie thinks he can steal my girl. I'll find a way to get her back. Besides, I haven't quite lost her just yet. He's got another thing coming. If it's a war he wants, it's a war he'll get. _

"Oh, Aelita," Jeremie stated as he reached up and touched her face, "you've got a cut." _That aught to upset Odd. _He took a quick glance over, and, sure enough, it had.

"Oh, it's probably nothing," she said and shrugged. "I must have gotten it when I fell down that slope earlier."

"Oh, you're probably right," Jeremie agreed and smiled. "It's probably nothing." _Odd, I don't care what I said before. I'm not going down without a fight. Aelita's still up for grabs, and I don't care what you say. She's bound to forgive me, and we'll be together. You'll see. I'll find a way to make Aelita mine. _Jeremie smirked, and continued his conversation with Aelita.

**Oh, conflict.  
Don't you just love it?  
Review for a preview.  
Remember, don't expect updates for a long time.  
Sorry, you'll just have to wait.**


	45. Where Are They?

**Ok, yes I've been on vacation.  
Here's the latest chapter.  
It's kind of filler.  
Sorry.  
Review for a preview.  
:)**

**No Matter What They Say**

**Chapter 45: Where are They?**

"Kiptyn, I'm worried," Sissi said nervously as she looked out the window of the restaurant. It was snowing very heavily and the ground was now covered with an extra foot of snow that hadn't been there earlier in the day. "Ulrich and the others haven't called me, and I don't think they're back yet."

Kiptyn looked out the window to the snow and wind outside. "I'm sure they're fine. Maybe they just haven't called you yet. Maybe they just didn't think they needed to. They're probably upstairs already in your room." He turned and smiled at her. "I'm sure there's nothing to worry about. They're probably upstairs right now or eating dinner."

She looked nervously back at him. "Oh, I don't know. I just wish Yumi or Ulrich would call. I tried once, but no one answered. I hope they're ok."

Kiptyn smiled and took her hand with one of his and patted it with the other. "I'm sure they're fine."

Sissi blushed and nodded slowly. She looked down at their hands for a second until he pulled his hands back again. He smiled at her and nodded reassuringly. He looked back out at the storm and shook his head. _If they're out there in that, I can only hope for their safety. _

-m-

"Nicholas, we haven't seen Sissi in days. Doesn't that bother you?" Herve asked from the window. He stared out into the storm. Nicholas was sitting on his bed watching the weather channel. They were alone. Their roommate had gone out earlier and still hadn't come back yet.

"Not really," Nicholas said dully.  
"But, she hasn't called us or talked to us or seen us in over two days. I haven't even seen her walking around the building. Doesn't that concern you the least bit?" Herve asked again.

"Nope. This place is big. She could be anywhere. Besides, she never called us before. Why would she start now?" he asked as he continued his focus on the television.

"Seriously, Nicholas, she could be out in the storm freezing to death! Doesn't that concern you?"

"What are the odds of that? She's probably just with that lifeguard again," Nicholas said without looking up. "I saw her with him a few days ago. She's probably just been with him that whole time. Have you checked the pools?"

"Well, no," Herve said stubbornly. "But, that doesn't prove anything."

"But, that doesn't disprove anything either. Just because you're being Sissi deprived doesn't mean you have to interrupt my show. Now, shush."

Herve turned around to face him. "You're watching the weather channel! And, I am not Sissi deprived!"

Nicholas shrugged. "Sissi's probably at the pool right now or eating dinner with that lifeguard or something. If you want to see her so badly just call her and find out where she is," he said nonchalantly.

"I don't want to see her so badly. I'm just, well, I'm just worried that she could be outside in this weather," Herve said defiantly.

"Yeah, sure. Why don't you call her?" he suggested. Herve turned slightly red. "Or, do you not have her number?"

Herve turned a deeper shade of red. "Shut up. She just forgot to give it to me, that's all. Besides, I don't need to know where she is. I'm not obsessed or anything. I'm just concerned, that's all."

"Yeah, ok, Herve. Whatever you say. This blizzard is covering the entire screen. Come look at this." Nicholas motioned for him to come over. Herve walked over to the television. There was a man outside in the blizzard reporting.

_"As you can see, Dan, I'm in the middle of this storm. I'm here in Tours, and we've heard reports of winds up to 65mph throughout France although we're not sure exactly of every location. Now, here where I am standing we seem to be experiencing speeds of around 40 mph. As you can see, the snow is continuing to fall all around us, and visibility is being reduced up to ½ a mile near here, but in other regions it is being reduced to less than 20 feet. I would advise anyone in the mountains, particularly those in Nice, Annecy, Grenoble, and Chambery to stay indoors and refrain from leaving. Anyone in the north, places like Amiens, Metz, Lille, Caen, and even Paris and those places around there, may still have time to get necessities before this storm hits your area. We have had snowfall of only a few inches in the northern section of France and the storm has not yet hit. Anyone who is currently in that area needs to get necessities soon and make sure that one is indoors within an hour or two. Try choosing items like bread, cereal, and fruits so that in the case of a power outage you will have food that doesn't need to be heated. Also, stock up on winter clothes and gear specifically large coats, gloves, and boots. At this time we aren't sure of what this storm will have in store or how long it will last. It could and most likely will get worse. Stay inside as much as possible. If you see anything happening in your area that looks really severe, call us or post a video online. Tell us what's happening in your area." _The man on the screen shouted and turned to his left. Immediately the camera turned to follow where he was looking. _"As you can see, a tree has just gone down next to me. I have also been advised to take shelter. We'll go back to Dan in the newsroom, and I'll be back later to give another update once we've found shelter. Again, stay indoors as much as you possibly can, and prepare for the worst storm since February of 1909. This is bad, and we've never seen this much snow in the summer. This is an unpredictable storm, and I will advise you again to be prepared. Back to you, Dan." _The camera faded out and it turned to a man and a woman sitting behind a table.

"That's terrible," Herve said as he turned away from the screen to look back out the window. "How cold do you think it is out there? -12? -18? Lower? People could be freezing out there."

Nicholas turned to look at Herve. "Are you still worried about Sissi?" he asked. Herve turned around and slowly nodded. "Well, then. We'll just have to go look for her. Let's go." He turned off the television and headed to the door. "We're going to the pool, and we're going to restaurants that Sissi would eat at."

"Thanks, Nicholas," Herve said, slightly embarrassed that he had admitted to being worried about Sissi. "Let's go."

-m-

"Johnny, today was amazing. Did you see me? You know me and Milly? Did you see us? Wasn't she the cutest thing you've ever seen in your whole life?" Hiroki dropped onto his bed and smiled up at the ceiling.

"Hiroki, I don't know how to answer that question," Johnny said.

"Didn't you see the way her eyes glowed in the light? Didn't you see the way she smiled at me? Oh, Johnny, wasn't she beautiful?" Hiroki melted into his bed as thoughts of Milly swarmed around in his head. Johnny scratched his head awkwardly.

"Um, sure. She looked, well, nice, Hiroki. Yeah, she looked nice."

"Nice?" Hiroki asked. "Don't you mean gorgeous? Magnificent? Beautiful? Wonderful? Amazing? Terrific?"

"No offense, Hiroki, but I don't think I can say those things. She is after all your girlfriend, not mine," Johnny said and walked over to a chair next to the window.

"Oh, come on, Johnny. You and I both know that everyone who sees Milly loves her. How can you not love her with her cute style and her great sense of humor?"

"Everyone?" Johnny asked skeptically. "Isn't that a bit of an overstatement?"

"No," Hiroki insisted. "Everyone."

"Well, good luck with that thought," Johnny said and turned to watch the snow come down heavily.

"It's true," Hiroki insisted.

_To know her is to love her  
I'm going undercover  
To catch a glimpse but not get caught_

"Whatever you say, Hiroki," Johnny said without turning back around.

"Come on, it is true. She's the most wonderful person in the world. I wouldn't give her up if you paid me. She's great and adorable and marvelous."

"I think you need to get your head checked," Johnny said with a laugh. "She's not the only girlfriend you'll ever have."

_But to see her could be worse  
If I don't get my head straight first  
On second thought I guess I'll not  
_

"You're just jealous, Johnny. She's the best girlfriend a guy could have. Did you see us today? When we held hands, she was glowing. I could hardly keep my eyes off her." Hiroki sighed deeply and smiled. "No one is as good as she is. I could never have a better girlfriend."

"Oh, come on. You really expect me to believe all this?" Johnny turned around to see Hiroki google-eyed at the ceiling. "You're going to have other girls come around and you'll say the same thing about them."

"No, Johnny. This is different. She's great. I think I love her. There's no one who even comes close to her." Hiroki smiled again and thought of their day together. "Didn't you notice how much better she looked than everyone else there?"

_She's almost brighter than the sun  
Seems to me to be unfair  
When you consider everyone  
Who pales when they compare_

_When they compare  
_

Johnny shrugged. "Not really. I mean, everyone looked the same to me. Besides, she was covered in snow the second half of the day. She just looked snowy. I mean, she looked good, but, oh I don't know, she wasn't so much more amazing than everyone else." Johnny shrugged again and tried to see what Hiroki was seeing. "I think love's clouding your vision."

Hiroki sighed again. "No, no. She really was all that amazing. Besides, wasn't see the cutest thing when she was falling down? She was so adorable. Besides, it meant that I had to help her ski. Oh, it felt so good for her to need my support." Johnny rolled his eyes. "No one could make me feel the way she made me feel."

_Can't hold a candle to her  
'Cause all the moths get in the way  
And they'll begin to chew her  
Entire attire until it frays  
For she outshines anyone whoever might  
Dare to bask in the same candlelight  
_

"If you say so," Johnny said with a shrug. "I mean you were with her the entire day." He looked back over to Hiroki who was still smiling on his bed. "It's not like you ignored me all day to be with her," he mumbled. "If you say she's great, I'm sure she is."

"Oh, you know how I feel. Didn't Yumi look amazing when you liked her?"

Johnny thought back. "Yeah, I guess you're right. She did seem like she was the most amazing person I'd ever seen."

"Exactly, and I feel the same way about Milly. It's like everyone else is just mediocre compared to her. She was so adorable today. She kept holding my hand and sitting next to me. It was like she couldn't get enough of me, or maybe it was that I couldn't get enough of her. Regardless, it was a great day."

"Yeah, sure."

_Oh please don't seat us in the back  
With all the insects and the trash  
She is a lady I'm the tramp.  
Collecting stares from pairs close by  
Then flutters in a butterfly  
You just a moth drawn to the lamp  
_

"It's like all of my dreams came true. I had Milly next to me, and we spent the entire day together. I'm so lucky to have her as my girlfriend. You have no idea."

Johnny sighed quietly. "Yeah, it's not like I ever got Yumi," he whispered to himself. Johnny stared out the window into the falling snow.

"She's so beautiful, and any guy could have her, but she chose me."

_She's like an ancient artifact  
Something you're lucky to have found  
She'll pinch the nerves in all the necks  
When she turns those heads around  
Those heads around_

"No one could be better," Hiroki said and continued to envisage their day together. Everything seemed to be circled around Milly.

"Yeah, I'm sure there isn't because she'd just so _adorable_. I know." Johnny sighed again.

"Exactly! You do get it."

_Can't hold a candle to her  
'Cause all the moths get in the way  
And they'll begin to chew her  
Entire attire until it frays  
For she outshines anyone whoever might  
Dare to bask in the same candlelight_

"Yeah, sure," Johnny said again.

"Do you remember the way she looked when she went down that second hill for the first time? The way her face filled with fear, and how at the very end, she smiled and hugged me? Oh, wasn't she just the cutest?"

"Yup, the cutest."

_Who may dare to bask_

_In the same candlelight?_

"Oh, I know," Hiroki said with a big smile. "It's like she was terrified, but I made it all better for her. Oh, I wish that it hadn't started snowing. I wish we could go back out again. She looked so cute when she was trying to ski. The way she crinkled her nose when she was about to fall. Oh, it just makes you want to go back."

_She's almost brighter than the sun  
Seems to me to be unfair  
When you consider everyone  
Who pales when they compare_

_When they compare  
_

"Hiroki, don't you think we could do something together? You know, besides talk about Milly?" Johnny asked as her turned back around.

"Why? Haven't you had enough fun for the day? Skiing with Milly was fun enough for me. Oh, do you remember that time when she lost her skis up at the top and we both climbed up to get them for her? She looked so dazzling when she was all snow-covered." Hiroki smiled to himself. "No one could look that good."

_Can't hold a candle to her  
'Cause all the moths get in the way  
And they'll begin to chew her  
Entire attire until it frays  
For she outshines anyone whoever might  
Dare to bask in the same candlelight_

_In the same candlelight_

"Yup, obviously not." Johnny sighed again and turned back to look out the window. "Not even Yumi could look that good," he whispered sarcastically to himself. "I think Yumi looked great when she was skiing even if I never got to ski with her," he whispered.

"Yeah, no one can compare." Hiroki took at deep breath and smiled again as he thought more of the day.

_A solar flare shines through her hair  
It's so unfair when you compare  
The one who's fairest of the fair_

"No on can compare to her."

_A solar flare shines through her hair  
It's so unfair when you compare  
The one who's fairest of the fair_

Johnny continued to look out the window and think of Yumi until something hit him. "Hiroki?" he asked quickly turning around.

"Yeah?"

"Did Yumi ever get back down from skiing?" he asked.

Hiroki shrugged. "I don't know. Probably."

"Hiroki! I'm serious. This is your sister. Didn't she or one of the others call you or something?" he asked anxiously.

"No, but that still doesn't surprise me. Yumi doesn't call me all the time. She doesn't always call to say she got in ok. What's the big deal anyway?"

"Hiroki! Wake up! Look outside! It's a blizzard! What if she didn't get back? She could be stuck out there." Johnny looked out and tried to see as far as he could, but he couldn't see anything farther than a couple of trees right outside of the window.

Hiroki sighed as he sat up. "Do you want me to call her?" Johnny nodded eagerly. Hiroki rolled his eyes and pulled out his phone. He quickly called Yumi's number and waited. It rang once and then went straight into voicemail. "Her phone must be off," he said as he hung up and placed his phone back in his pocket.

Johnny looked nervously at Hiroki. "Well, aren't you concerned?"

"Nope," he said and lied back down onto his bed. "Whenever Yumi and I went skiing when we were little, she'd always had to have a shower after she came back. She probably just turned her phone off because she's in the shower, or maybe she's with Ulrich and just doesn't want to be disturbed." Hiroki smiled to himself. "It could be anything."

Johnny blushed at the thought of Yumi and Ulrich together. He shied away from the thoughts of what they could be doing together. "If she doesn't call by the time we're going to sleep, will you call her again?"

"Yeah, yeah. Sure," he said quickly pushing it off so that he could melt into thoughts of Milly.

Johnny sighed and headed out the door. "I'll be back later," he said, "if you care." He whispered the last part and closed the door behind himself. He headed down the hallway to the elevator so he could head to dinner.

As he walked through the lobby he was stopped by three girls in his grade. "Where're ya going, Johnny?" Kyra asked sweetly. All three girls smiled at him.

"Um, I'm just going to dinner. Why? Did you need something?" Johnny looked at all of them. They'd never really talked to them before. Clisté was one of the most popular girls in his grade, and she never talked to people underneath her unless she had something to gain by doing so.

"Actually, yes," Liana said with a smile. "You see, we were just heading over to dinner when we realized that we're uneven."

"Uneven? What do you mean?" Johnny asked skeptically.

"You know, we've got an odd number. There's three of us," Kyra said with fake concern.

"There's always three of you. You guys are always together. What's different tonight?"

"You see, we wanted to eat dinner together, but there's an odd number. We didn't want to have one of us sitting alone on one side of the table by herself." Liana smiled "So, we thought you might want to eat with us, you know, to even us out."

Johnny raised an eyebrow at them, but couldn't keep his mind focused. He used to like Liana before he liked Yumi, and his feelings were still present every once and a while when she was really close to him. "Um, don't you eat in threes all the time?"

Kyra sighed. "Well, yes, but usually we get tables and this time there are only booths. Won't you come and eat with us? You know, just to even us out so none of us sit alone." All three smiled.

"But, wouldn't it still be a decision to see who has to sit with me?" Johnny asked.

"Oh no, not at all. Any of us would be perfectly fine sitting next to you," Kyra said with a smile. "In fact, Liana said that she'd just love to." He looked quickly over to her and she held a fake smile on her face as she nodded. Johnny could hardly tell it was fake though.

"Well, if it would help, I'll eat with you," he said and nodded.

"Excellent," Liana said and they all headed to the restaurant to eat.

They all headed to a restaurant in the left side of the building on the top floor. It was surprisingly under the list of restaurants that they could eat at for free even though it looked relatively expensive. It was a steakhouse and they were right when they said it only had booths. He was surprised, but they were correct. They got seated near the window after a 30 minute wait. During the wait, they talked about nothing in particular. It was mostly idle chatter about the storm and how long they thought it would last, but occasionally it strayed. Clisté never spoke a word except to Liana or Kyra. Johnny was right when he thought she wouldn't talk to anyone below him.

As they were seated, Johnny slid in after Liana, and they all received menus. As they looked over the menus, Kyra smiled over to Johnny.

"So, Johnny, what did you do today?"

"Oh, um, well I went skiing today with some of my friends," he said as he continued to search for something to eat.

"Really? That sounds so much fun. Who went with you?" Kyra asked and continued to browse her own menu.

"Oh, a bunch of people. Hiroki, Yumi, Ulrich, Milly, Tamiya, Aelita, Odd, Jeremie, and a few others. There was Sissi and this lifeguard as well as William and Jared, but Jared doesn't go to our school. Maybe you've seen him around. Probably not. It was fun I guess."

"Oh, that sounds like a lot of people. Most of them are 8th and 9th graders, aren't they?" Liana asked. "How'd you get to be such good friends with them?"

"Oh, Hiroki's sister, Yumi, brought her friends along. It was actually her idea to set it up. Hiroki decided to invite Milly and Tamiya, but whatever."

"What do you mean by that?" Liana said, faking concern in attempt to get information.

"Oh, nothing. I'm sorry. Hiroki's just been a little obsessed lately, but I don't need to bore you with the details." He sighed and tried to calm himself.

"What's wrong? You can tell us? Is Hiroki making you mad?" Liana asked and placed her hand on his shoulder.

Johnny shuddered and looked over at Liana whose eyes were filled with sympathy. "You see, Hiroki's been with Milly lately, and he's already obsessed. It's like he's forgotten all about me."

"So, he's dating Milly Solovieff, and you've been left behind?" Liana asked.

"That's what it seems like," Johnny said with a sigh.

"That's so sad," Kyra said. "How's Aelita taking it?"

Johnny looked over at her skeptically. "Aelita? What do you mean? Hiroki and Aelita are just friends if you can even call them that."

"Oh, really? Then who does Aelita like?" Kyra asked, trying not to push to hard, but eager since she knew she was so close to getting the answer the three of them so desperately sought. They desired new gossip so that they could always be a step ahead of everyone else.

"Oh, well, I'm not sure. It's complicated, I guess. I mean," he said, but stopped and shook his head. "What am I saying? I shouldn't be talking to you about Aelita. If she wanted anyone to know, she'd tell them." He shook his head again and buried himself in his menu. The three girls sighed and searched for something of there own to eat.

Clisté caught Liana's gaze and mouthed: that was close, try plan two. Liana nodded and they busied themselves in their menus again.

**Thanks for reading.  
Review for a preview.  
Hope you liked it.  
Sorry for the long wait.**


	46. Stay Here and Keep Watch with Me

**I hope you like this new update.  
A lot of people have been asking for this.  
I would really like to thank Oddlitafan1 for reviewing my last few chapters and then pestering me to update.  
I also want to thank Ao Astra for reviewing even though I can't give a preview back.  
I also want to thank EccentricSuperchick for pestering me to update.  
Thanks to all of those people who continue to review and read.  
I hope this will satisfy you for a while.  
As always, review for a preview.**

**No Matter What They Say**

**Chapter 46: Stay Here and Keep Watch with Me**

Odd sat grumbling to himself. Aelita and Jeremie had been talking for the past hour, Yumi and Ulrich had gone back to whispering to each other, and he was left by himself. He turned and looked over to Aelita again. They were still talking away. About what he had no clue. He rolled his eyes and turned back to look away from them. _If he isn't finished in five minutes, I'm interrupting their conversation whether or not he likes it. This is getting ridiculous. _Odd grumbled to himself and pulled the towel farther over himself. As he did this, he accidently hit Aelita's leg. She turned toward him to see what he wanted. "Sorry," he said with a small smile.

Aelita had a big smile on her face. "You're forgiven." Although Odd was actually apologizing for hitting her leg, she thought he was talking about being inconsiderate about asking her for her food. "I knew you'd come around."

Odd was confused for a second before he realized why she had said that. He smiled and took the opportunity to get her back from the grasp of Jeremie. He pulled her into a slightly awkward hug. When he pulled out, he smiled at her, and she smiled back. Then, they began talking as if Aelita had never been talking to Jeremie in the first place. After a few minutes, Odd pulled part of his towel over her and part of her towel over him so that they were both under the same towels together. Then, he took her hand in his and pulled it into his lap like it was earlier. Aelita slightly blushed, and Odd pretended not to notice. He felt nice just sitting there with his fingers intertwined with Aelita's. They continued to talk together for a long time. Soon, it got darker outside, and Aelita checked her phone for the time. It was already 9:30. She looked around, and no one was asleep, but Yumi looked really tired, and Ulrich also looked as if he was fighting sleep.

"Ok, everyone," Aelita said, calling everyone's attention. "I've got an idea. I know how tired we're all getting. Cold can do that to us, and I also know that skiing can make anyone tired. So, my idea is that we all take shifts keeping watch as we sleep. We've got to sleep, but we can't all sleep at the same time. There might be wild animals in this forest, and we also don't want us all to fall asleep and risk the chance of never waking up. So, we'll all take turns keeping watch. Every 2 hours we'll switch off. The person keeping watch will wake everyone up, and then the next person will start their turn. That way, everyone doesn't get too much sleep without stretching, and that way we all take turns staying up." She looked around and everyone nodded.

"So, who takes first shift?" Yumi asked with a yawn.

"Not you," Ulrich said. "You're way too tired."

Everyone nodded. "I'll take first," Odd offered. "I'm not tired. I'll protect everyone from whatever's out there." Aelita smiled at him.

"It's fine. I'll take first shift, Odd," Jeremie said. "I'm not tired either. I can watch for anything just as easily as you could."

"I'm just trying to be helpful, Jeremie," Odd said and pasted a fake smile across his face. "I'm sure you'd do a fine job, but I'll do just as good as you can. I'll take first shift. I really don't mind." He smiled at Aelita. Yumi and Ulrich stayed out of it and talked quietly.

"It's fine, Odd," Jeremie insisted. "I'll protect everyone."

Odd scowled, but thought for a second. With Jeremie out in the cold, he'd be the one inside snuggling with Aelita. He smiled slightly. If he let Jeremie feel like he'd won, he'd actually be the winner because he'd be the one staying inside with Aelita. "Fine, you can take first shift." Jeremie smiled in triumph.

They all exited the cave and thought of ways to get everyone inside. They thought and tried a couple of ways until they found that if they all laid on their sides, they could fit four in the length of the cave without their feet sticking out. They reasoned that this would be fine. So, Odd went in and laid next to the wall, Aelita followed him, she was followed by Yumi, and Ulrich followed her in. They all grabbed their towels and covered up. They decided it would be better to share them, so they covered each other with all of the towels. Then, on top of that, they added the one blanket that they had happened to find. Once everyone was situated, Jeremie sat in the entrance, and as he began his turn at watch, everyone else tried to fall asleep.

Odd took Aelita into his arms as best he could and pulled her close to his body. As he wrapped his arms around her, she pulled his hands so that they were locked tightly around her waist. Odd smiled and melted into Aelita. She felt the same way and leaned closer to him. She trailed her hands down his arms, and although she thought he wouldn't be able to feel it through his coat, she rubbed his arms. To his own surprise, he did feel her rubbing his arms more than he expected he would. He felt a tingle go through his whole body and tried not to shudder. Then suddenly, he felt himself get a boner. His eyes went wide and tried to slowly pull away from her without being too noticeable so that she wouldn't feel it probing her backside. He blushed and pulled back just enough that his front wasn't able to touch her. He took slow deep breaths and tried to calm himself down. _How do I get rid of this thing?_ He quickly thought of all of the worst things he could. He thought of Jim, math problems, and bad food at lunch. Soon enough, he was calmed down, and it went away. _That would have been bad if Aelita would have felt that. She already thinks I tried to go too far once. _He took another deep breath and pulled her back close to him. He tried to relax again, but he didn't really know how to while she was rubbing his arms and pressed up against him like that. Instead of trying, he just let himself feel what he wanted. _I've been next to Aelita before without that happening. It was just some freak thing. It won't happen again. I should just enjoy myself. _He pulled Aelita closer so that he could whisper to her, and no one else would hear. "I love you," he whispered. He felt her melt deeper into his arms. Chills ran up and down her back. Her eyes were closed, and she was almost asleep. She had stopped rubbing his arms. She thought about Odd, and how he had wanted to get closer to her all day, but it was a public place, and she hadn't let him. She felt a little bad. She turned slowly onto her other side so that she was facing Odd, instead of facing away from him.

"Is everything alright, Aelita?" Odd whispered as not to wake the others if they were asleep.

"Yes," she replied quietly. She then wrapped her arms around his waist and pulled herself as close as she could to him. She pressed herself up to his chest so as to try and feel him as well as any body heat he was giving off. Odd was slightly startled at the new affection and also slightly worried because of what had happened a few minutes earlier but went with it anyway because he couldn't resist Aelita. He smiled and pulled her into him. He wrapped his arms around her so that her head rested upon the arm under it. It wasn't the most comfortable position, but it made him feel more connected to Aelita so he didn't mind. Aelita smiled and took a deep breath. Odd smiled and ran his hand down her back. A chill ran down her back, and she shivered slightly. With the wind picking up, Aelita's teeth started to chatter. "Are you still really cold, Aelita?" Yumi asked in a whisper. "I think we might have another towel."

"No, no, it's fine, Yumi. Besides, I've got Odd's hair to keep me warm." She gave a small smile, and snuggled closer to Odd and ran her hand through his hair which was less of a point and more of a tangled mess.

Yumi smiled and chuckled slightly, "If you're sure. Goodnight."

Aelita smiled and took another deep breath. She then curled her knee in between Odd's legs so that it was resting on his left leg and so that his right was curled on top of hers. Odd shuddered slightly but regained control quickly.

"Are you still really cold?" Odd asked in a whisper.

"I-I'm fine," she quietly said through chattering teeth.

"You're lying," Odd whispered and smiled slightly. He kissed her forehead and pulled away just a bit and started to unzip his jacket. Then, he went for Aelita's jacket and slowly started to unzip that.

"What are you doing?" she asked quietly. Odd finished taking off his coat. "I don't want your coat. You'll freeze."

"I wasn't going to give you my coat."

"Then, what are you doing?" she asked skeptically.

He took his shirt off with a shudder and quickly wrapped his arms through the inside of Aelita's jacket. "If there's one thing I learned in Health class, it's that body heat is the best way to keep someone warm." Aelita smiled and blushed. Then he placed both jackets on top of them as extra blankets. Aelita tried to snuggle closer as if she wasn't close enough already. She took a deep breath as she tried to take all of his warmth in. Soon enough, she was asleep in his arms. He watched her as she slept for a short time until he fell asleep as well.

-m-

"Yumi?" he whispered quietly. "Are you still awake?" Ulrich looked at her to see if she was still moving.

She groaned quietly and turned to face him. "Barely. Can't whatever you have to say wait until morning? I'm so tired." She looked at him, but her eyelids were straining to stay open.

Ulrich gave her a smile which was half happy and half worried. "Sure." She nodded and closed her eyes. He kissed her on the forehead sweetly before closing his own eyes. "Goodnight, Yumi. I love you."

She smiled without opening her eyes. They both fell asleep not long after that. During the night she tossed and turned. Ulrich had taken up half of her room because he had turned and slept on his back. Eventually, during her sleep, she had worked her body so that she was plastered against Ulrich's side, laying her head on his chest as a pillow. It was then that she smiled in her sleep.

-m-

_What were you thinking, Jeremie?_ He asked himself after 30 minutes in the cold. _If you would have shut up and let Odd keep watch, you would be the one in there snuggling with Aelita. _His teeth continued to chatter as he continued his watch. _Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. _He turned around and looked inside. There was Aelita curled around Odd as if he was the last warm thing on Earth. Odd was smiling in his sleep as if to rub it in Jeremie's face. Jeremie breathed a heavy sigh and shook his head. He looked over to where Yumi was laying on Ulrich and shook his head again. _If Aelita and Odd get together, realistically, I could be left out of the group. I wouldn't go on double dates. I wouldn't have a date for the dances. I mean, I could always have Lyoko to back me up. They need me there, but then again, Aelita does know how to send them there. Oh what am I thinking? I won't be needed if they get together. The only hope I have left is if I get Odd away from Aelita. _He shivered again and checked his watch. It had only been 40 minutes. He turned back around to stare inside again. He looked over at Aelita and Odd again. He noticed Odd's arm under Aelita's head for the first time. He got angry for a second, but then just sighed in defeat. _I wonder if I took the blanket off of them how close they would be. Is she wrapping her arms around him or just snuggled up close? How close is he to her? Does he have both arms tight around her pulling her close to him? _Jeremie sighed again as he stared longingly at Aelita. _My God, she's so beautiful I can hardly stand it. _The more he thought of her, the warmer he got. He continued to watch her sleep, occasionally looking around to make sure nothing was going on outside. After sitting outside for a full two hours, Jeremie was very eager to get up and trade someone spots so that he could get warm and sleep. He woke them all up by kicking their feet. Odd got startled awake, but everyone else woke up a little more slowly.

"Who's going next?" Jeremie asked.

Odd pulled his arms away from Aelita just in case he had to have the next shift. Luckily, Yumi offered, saying that she wanted to get it over with. Odd sighed in relief as Yumi got up. Jeremie was about to go take her place, but before he could, Ulrich moved over and Jeremie got placed next to Ulrich and the wall instead of Aelita. Jeremie sighed but took his spot anyway.

Yumi smiled at Ulrich before she took her spot outside. "Night," she mouthed. He smiled back before laying back down, facing Aelita, and going back to sleep. Yumi yawned and stretched out her arms before she pulled the towel over her and got settled in for her duty as lookout.

-m-

Yumi's turn went slowly and felt like ages before she even reached the halfway point. By the time an hour had gone by, she was chilled to the bone. She stared out into the trees, hoping time would move faster. A chill ran down her spine as the wind picked up again. Suddenly she felt something on her shoulder and turned around quickly, prepared to attack.

"Ahh!" Ulrich shouted and quickly covered his mouth. He turned back quickly to see if any of the others had woken up. "Sorry," he whispered.

"You nearly gave me a heart attack, Ulrich," Yumi whispered as she clutched her chest to keep her heart from jumping out. "What are you doing out here? The next shift isn't for another 56 minutes," she said as she checked her phone.

"Yeah, I know, but I couldn't sleep as well after you left, and when I felt that gust of wind, I woke up and figured that you'd probably be freezing. So, I came out here to keep you company." He smiled.

"You realize that you're going to have to stay out here for another two hours regardless of whether or not you stay out here with me." He nodded and sat down next to her. She smiled and shrugged. "It's your decision."

"I know." He smiled at her and scooted next to her. He quickly wrapped her towel over the both of them and then added his own on top of that. Then he reached into her lap and intertwined his fingers with hers. "Your hands are freezing." He quickly rubbed them with his own to try and get them warm again.

"Thanks," she whispered with a smile.

"No problem," he replied.

"And you realize that it's one in the morning, and you could be sleeping?" she asked again.

"Yes, Yumi," he said with a laugh. "I'd much rather be out here with you." He leaned over toward her and pressed his lips firmly to hers. She melted into his kiss. It was long and passionate, the first in a while that made her head spin. She had to pry herself away. "Ulrich, we can't do that right now," she said and shook her head.

"Why?" he asked uncertainly. He leaned in again, but she turned her head away from him at the last second. He raised an eyebrow at her. She finally turned back around again.

"What if something happens and I'm not watching?" she asked.

"Nothing will happen," he assured her and moved in for another kiss. She moved away again.

"Come on, Yumi," Ulrich said exasperatedly. "This is the only time we've had alone together all day. What could happen? Jeremie sat out here for an entire 2 hours without seeing a thing. Really, the worst thing out here is Odd." He smiled, and Yumi rolled her eyes. "There can't be any big animals out here or else they wouldn't have built the resort here. What's the matter with staying warm while you're out here?"

"Well, I don't know," Yumi said skeptically. Ulrich tilted his head and gave her a look that said 'come on, please'. She rolled her eyes and sighed. "Ok, what's the harm? But, if we hear anything, we stop and start to keep watch again. Ok?"

"Sure, whatever." He smiled and leaned over to her again.

Yumi smiled and leaned in to him. There lips met in the center, and fire raced up and down the both of them. Ulrich moved his lips in rhythm with hers until it was less of a kiss and more of a dance for their mouths. Soon, Yumi forgot all about the snow and the blizzard and got lost in the feel of Ulrich next to her, on her, and over her. There lips mingled. His hands came up and grasped the sides of her face and pulled it closer to his. The towels fell to their laps. She ran her hands through his hair and down his back. He kissed her lips, her forehead, and left a trail of kisses down her neck before returning back to her lips for more. She closed her eyes and went with it, careless of the world around her. After almost 30 straight minutes of making out, Yumi pulled out and paused to breathe.

Ulrich looked at Yumi as he continued to breathe heavily. His eyes were wide, but so were hers. "Well, I bet you're warmer now," he chuckled as he tried to make light of the situation.

"I had no idea you could kiss like that, let alone out here." Yumi continued to breathe hard and try to calm down. She blushed as a thought came to her mind. She shook it away quickly.

"Yeah, me neither." Ulrich smiled bashfully. "Was that too much?" Yumi gave him a small smile and shook her head.

"No, but let's save that kind of stuff for when we're absolutely alone, in a room, out of the snow, in normal clothes, not coats." Ulrich nodded and smiled at her. He grasped her hand and pulled her into his side. She smiled as well and rested her head on his shoulder. "I love you."

"I love you too," he whispered. He pulled the towels back up over them and sighed in delight. Then, he turned his head closer to hers and whispered, "And I'd give up forever to touch you 'cause I know that you feel me somehow. You're the closest to heaven that I'll ever be, and I don't want to go home somehow." Yumi smiled as she recognized the words to their song. "And all I can taste is this moment. And all I can breathe is your life 'cause sooner or later it's over. I just don't want to miss you tonight."

Yumi smiled. "And I don't want the whole world to see me 'cause I don't think that they'd understand. When everything's made to be broken, I just want you to know who I am," she finished. "Thanks for staying out here with me."

"It was nothing. I'd do it again," he replied with a smile.

"You're the best." Yumi took a deep breath and sighed happily. "Thanks for coming on this cruddy ski trip. I don't think I would have made it out here without you to help me stay sane." She chuckled slightly. "I know how much you must hate this."

"It's not too bad." Yumi raised an eyebrow at him. "Ok, it's pretty bad," he confessed, "but it could be worse. You could've stayed up there in the warmth and left me down here by myself like I asked you to."

She smiled again. "I'd never leave you."

"I know," he said with a smile. Then, they both stared out into the snow that was continuing to fall, wondering when it would stop and if they would ever get back.

**Thanks for reading.  
I hope that satisfied a few of you who have been wanting more Yumi x Ulrich moments.  
Review for a preview of the next chapter.**

**(P.S. Their song is Iris by New Found Glory. I do not own any of the lyrics.)**


	47. How I Feel

**I know I haven't updated in a while  
Enjoy this new chapter.  
If I do say so myself, the chapters are getting better.  
Review for a preview **

**No Matter What They Say**

**Chapter 47: How I Feel**

"Well, she isn't here," Nicholas said as he turned to exit a nearly empty pool area.

"We'll just have to check the other pool. Besides, this is the boring pool anyway. All of the lifeguards are at the other one," Herve insisted. They headed over to the other pool and searched it from top to bottom, still with no luck. Sissi wasn't anywhere to be found. Nicholas also made a comment that he didn't see the lifeguard that she had been with either.

They next went off to check the restaurants that she would actually eat at. They arrived at the fifth restaurant before they found her in the back next to a window. "Well, go talk to her already," Nicholas insisted and pushed Herve back toward the table.

"No. This is fine. I-I just wanted to make sure she wasn't out in the snow. Let's just go," he pleaded. "I don't want to make a scene."

"You know, she's never going to realize that you love her if you stay in the shadows. Like someone once said: Boy have no fear. There's no time to lose. And next week you may not see me here. So boy, just make your move."

Herve looked at Nicholas skeptically. "Isn't that in a Britney Spears song?"

Nicholas thought to himself for a second before shrugging. "It doesn't matter. The words are still true. So, go." He pushed him hard so that he stumbled over to Sissi's table.

"Herve? What are you doing here?" Sissi asked as she saw him nearly fall onto their table.

"Um, well, I saw you over here, and well I just thought I might ask you, um, how skiing went today?" he answered nervously.

"It was fine, but couldn't we talk about it later? I'm kinda busy right now," she said sincerely for the first time in her life.

Herve struggled to remain in control of his anger. "Yeah, yeah, sure. Call me later then, and we can talk about it."

Sissi smiled and nodded. "Ok. See ya around."

Herve walked back over to Nicholas clenching his hands into fists. "She's having such a great time with Mr. Lifeguard over there, she told me to talk to her later."

"Well, like someone once said: I can't-."  
"If it's another Britney quote, I don't care," Herve declared angrily and quickly walked out of the restaurant. Nicholas shrugged and followed after him.

-m-

"Oh, Johnny, this pasta sounds delicious, but I don't think I can eat it all by myself," Liana said with a sparkle in her eye. "Would you want to share it with me?"

Johnny blushed at the thought of sharing a pasta dish with Liana. Thoughts of Lady and the Tramp© flooded his mind. "Um, you're sure you can't eat it all?" he asked hesitantly.

"Positive," she said with a smile. "Or was there something else you wanted to get? I can always take it back to the room if you don't want to share with me. It's alright."

"No, no. I'll share it with you if you want." Johnny blushed again.

"Oh, thanks," she said and positively glowed.

"Clisté and I are going to share the grilled chicken and steak combo," Kyra said with a smile. "After all, it is a steakhouse. It should be good."

"Yeah, thanks so true," Liana said with a smile. "Good choice."

"So, Johnny, have you been enjoying your time here so far?" Kyra asked.

"Yeah, mostly. I mean, that video arcade has some pretty awesome laser tag," he said excitedly at first. Then he looked around and scratched the back of his head awkwardly as the others weren't as excited. "Heh heh, yeah…."

"That sounds interesting," Kyra said with a fake smile. "So, Hiroki has a new girlfriend?"

"Yeah," he grumbled.

"Don't you like Milly?" Liana asked.

"Well, yeah. Milly isn't the problem. It's Hiroki. He's totally obsessed. He can't stop thinking about her and talking about her. I hardly got a word in edgewise today. I was pretty much talking to Tamiya the whole time."

"Well, do you like Tamiya? Did you ever think about going out with her?" Liana asked.

"Oh no, she's not my type. I mean, it's not like I hate her or anything, but I don't think I'd ask her out." He shook his head.

"Well, you've got to have someone you like," Liana said. "Who is it?"

"There's no one really. Well, no one available at least," he muttered with a sigh.

"Ohhhh, then there is someone!" she shouted with a smile.

-m-

"Milly, you two looked so cute today," Tamiya said as she came out of the shower in her towel.

"You really think so?" Milly asked as she brushed her hair.

"Yeah, really. I mean, he couldn't keep his eyes off you," she said with a smile. She walked over to her dresser and picked out an outfit for what was left of the day.

Milly sighed happily. She had taken the first shower and was finishing her hair. "You know, at first, I wasn't sure if we would work out. I mean, he's still kind of young. I wasn't sure how immature he was still, but after spending the day together, I know this will work out. I'm sure of it."

"That's good. You two make a great couple anyway. Red shirt or Brown?" she asked as she held them both up.

Milly looked over. "Um, which pants are you going to wear?"

"Just jeans."

"Um, then, you should wear the brown one with the short sleeved dark brown blazer over top of it."

Tamiya raised an eyebrow at her. "Isn't that a little brown? Should I just wear the red one?"

"No, no. Just put on a colorful necklace and belt. How about your orange or red one? That would look cute."

Tamiya smiled. "Yeah, you're right. Thanks. I'm glad we're still really good friends, Milly."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, some people forget about their friends after they get a boyfriend. I'm just glad you aren't like that," she explained as she got dressed. They finished getting ready in another 20 minutes and then headed out to get a late dinner. They headed to a steakhouse that was free for them and were told that there was a 10 minute wait. They talked for a while until Milly spotted Johnny over in a booth near the window.

"Tamiya, that's Johnny. What's he doing with all of those girls?"

"I don't know? How would I know? He's sharing a pasta dish with that girl. Is he dating her?"

"I didn't think he had a girlfriend," Milly remarked. "Let's go talk to him." Milly started to walk toward him, but Tamiya pulled her back.

"Wait, Milly. I don't think we should interrupt him. I mean, would you want to be interrupted? I don't think so. Besides, our table is ready."

"Fine," Milly grumbled and followed the waiter. They walked around the restaurant until they were seated at a small booth near Johnny's.

"This is great," Milly said with a smile. "I can hear everything they say."

"Milly, not to be rude or anything, but can we just eat here and not spy on Johnny? If he wants to eat with some girls in his class, we shouldn't interfere."

"Oh, come on, Tamiya. Don't you want to know why he's with them?"

"Not really," she answered and then began looking at her menu.

"Fine. You don't have to listen in." She began to gaze over her menu as she listened over to their conversation.

_"I can't thank you enough, Johnny. I couldn't have eaten all of this by myself. Could I ask you a question?"_

_ "Yeah, sure, anything."_

_ "Well, you see. I have this friend, and she really likes this guy, but she's not sure if he's available at the moment. I thought you might know."_

_ "Maybe, who's the guy?"_

_ "Odd DellaRobbia."_

_ "Um, I'm not sure. I would probably have to say no."_

_ "Aw, that's too bad. Is he dating someone right now?"_

_ "Well, it's complicated."_

_ "Why? Who's he dating? Is it someone I know? Maybe, if I knew, I could tell my friend, so that she wouldn't ask him."_

_ "Um, I don't know if I should mention it."_

_ "Oh, come on, Johnny!" she yelled. "Just tell me! Is it Aelita!"_

_ "What? Why are you yelling at me?"_

_ "Ugh! You are such an idiot! I don't know why we decided to get information out of you. You aren't saying anything! Why won't you just tell me who Aelita's dating?"_

_ "Wait, wait, wait. You're using me? To get information about Aelita?"_

_ "Well, duh. You didn't think I actually wanted to eat with you, let alone share a meal. Oh, but it's too late now. You either don't know a thing, or you won't tell me. So, I'd say this dinner is over."_

_ "You'd say? I don't know why I even believed you guys could be nice. You're the meanest girls in our grade. I'm leaving!"_

Johnny quickly slid out of the booth and headed toward the door. The waiter arrived quickly to their table and took their names as to pay for the check. As soon as he was gone, the girls were too.

"Tamiya, did you hear that?"

"Nope. I don't eavesdrop."

"Tamiya, those girls were using Hiroki to find out information about who Aelita is dating."

"They were using him? That's terrible. Why would they want to know who Aelita likes? I mean, doesn't she like Jeremie?"

"I don't know anymore," Milly said with a shrug. "They said that she might like Odd."

"Isn't that her cousin? How can she like her cousin? Well, it's not unheard of, but it's rare, and I wouldn't have pegged Aelita as that type of person."

"Me neither," she replied. "Speaking of them, I haven't seen them or heard from them since we got back down."

"Me neither. Do you think they're still out there?" Tamiya asked.

Milly looked out the window. "I hope not. If they are, they might not come back."

"Do you have Ulrich's number?"

"Oh, yeah, I do. I'll call him," Milly said with a smile. She quickly called his phone and waited. "It went straight to voicemail," she said as she covered the end of the phone. "Should I leave a message?" Tamiya nodded. "Hey, Ulrich, it's me, Milly. You guys haven't called saying you got back. I'm, well, we're worried about you guys. I hope you're not out in that storm. Try to call me as soon as you can. Bye." She shut the phone and put it back in her pocket. "I hope they're alright."

"Me too."

"We'll try calling again later," Milly suggested. Tamiya nodded.

-m-

"This has been one of the best days of my life. Thanks for coming skiing with me," Sissi said with a smile as she finished her meal.

"It was really no problem," Kiptyn replied with a smile. "It was fun. I'm glad I went. It was really fun." Sissi blushed slightly as he smiled, looking into her eyes. "I haven't been skiing in a while and that was just what I needed. I needed someone to get me away from the pool for a while."

"Well, I'm glad I could help."

"Maybe, you should help me more often," he replied. Sissi blushed at what she hoped to be a hint of a double meaning. "I could use more days off."

Sissi's smile faded slowly as she realized that her time here was limited and that eventually she was going to have to leave to go back to Kadic.

"What's wrong?" he asked. "Did I say something?"

"No, no. I was just thinking."

"About what?" he pressed.

"Oh, just the fact that I'm going to have to leave here eventually, and that you'll forget all about me and enjoy another great day like this with someone else that you find sitting around your pool, and you'll forget this day among all the others." She looked away from him so she wouldn't have to see his face.

"That's not true. That's ridiculous. Is that why you've had a sudden change in mood?" She looked down at her hands. "Look at me." She looked up quickly and then looked away again. He reached his hand across the table and lifted her shin so that her eyes met his. She shuddered at his slightest touch. He had such an affect on her. "Don't ever think that again. I could never forget a day like this. I could never forget a girl like you. I would never replace this day with another. You made today special, and I wish that I could make it up to you by taking you somewhere."

"You're just saying that," she said and tried to turn her head away. "I'm too young to be anything more than just a girl you met and had a nice day with."

He held her firmly so that she had to remain looking at him. "Is that what this is about, your age?" Sissi diverted her eyes. "That's ridiculous. Just because you're young doesn't mean that I'll forget you easily. You've made a lasting imprint on me. Besides, you've got another few months to be here before you leave. You can come to the pool with me, and then after my shifts, I can go do something with you. We'll hang out together, every day if you want, until you have to leave."

"But, eventually, I'm going to have to leave, and no matter how long I've been here, you'll see someone else, hang out with her, and forget about me. If I gave you my number, you wouldn't call me. I know. It's happened before."

"If you gave me your number, I'd call every week, if not every day, to talk to you. Sissi, you're being too hard on yourself. I would never forget you. I promise." He held her eyes and smiled earnestly. She still wasn't convinced. He fought with himself on what to do next and whether or not to tell her what was inside. "Sissi, I-I, well, I, mhm." He couldn't bring himself to say or do anything about it. He let go of her chin, but she continued to look at him.

"What were you going to say?"

"I, well, I don't know how to say it. It's hard to say."

"What is it? I can take it."

"It's just, well, I."

"If it's about my age, I knew it wouldn't work out. I'm sorry I even tried to get this to work out as a friendship. I'll save you the trouble and get out of your life. I'll let you forget me. I'll leave now so it won't hurt as much when you never call," she whispered. She signed the check on the table so that their meals were free, and then got up and turned to leave.

"Sissi," Kiptyn called after her, but she just kept on walking. He followed her out of the restaurant and caught up to her in the hallway. "Sissi, that's not what I was going to say," he said as he grabbed her arm. She tried to walk away, but he held her tight. "Everything that I said in there was true. I really want to tell you something, but I just don't know how to say it."

She spun around. "Just tell me the truth. 'It's been real fun, Sissi. I've had a great time, but all we'll ever be is friends from a distance. I'm sorry it has to be this way, but I can't be seen with you anymore. I really will call you though.' Puh-lease. I don't want your lies. So just tell me the truth or let me leave. I don't want to spend any more time with you if I'm never going to hear from you after you leave. I've already had that happen, and I don't want it to happen again. So, just tell me or let me go."

He thought it over for a second and finally decided that it was best to tell her the truth. He didn't know how he was going to say it, but then he thought of an idea. "Come with me," he said with a smile. He grasped her hand and ran toward the elevator. As much as she didn't want to get hurt again, she followed willingly and smiled when he held her hand.

As they exited the elevator, he led her down several hallways until her found where he wanted to take her. He entered the bar and told her to take a seat at an open table. She was about to ask why, but didn't and just did as she was told. Kiptyn went up to the stage and talked with the man up there for a second before he nodded. The man skimmed through a book before nodding back at Kiptyn. Kiptyn smiled and signed a strip of paper before handing it to him. Kiptyn walked back over to Sissi and smiled.

"You're probably wondering why I brought you here."

"It had crossed my mind," she said dully.

"Well, every few days this bar has karaoke night. I wasn't sure, but now I'm positive that it's tonight."

"So, you thought that it would make everything better if we got our minds off of leaving by singing?" she asked.

"Well, no. I don't know how to say what I've wanted to say to you, so I've decided to sing it to you."

"You're going to what?" she asked shocked.

"I'm going to sing to you."

"Why?"

"Because I don't know how else to tell you this."

Sissi's eyes widened. "Don't do this to me. Don't sing me a goodbye, I'll remember you song. I don't want that kind of embarrassment in front of all of these people. Especially since I'm still going to be here for another month or two. Please don't."

"Up next is Kiptyn Michel. Come on up here," the announcer said and a few people who must have known him applauded.

"It's my turn."

"Please don't do this," she begged.

"I don't know how else to do this. Don't worry. I have a good voice for singing. I won't be bad at that."

He turned and headed up to the stage before Sissi could say anything more on the subject. She shook her head and buried it in her hands. _I knew I never should have gotten involved with someone way older than me. I knew it would never work out. Maybe if I just slip out before he starts-._

"This one is for Sissi," Kiptyn said boldly and pointed her way. She looked up at him and the rest of the crowd who was staring at her. _So much for running away. _The music started low and a few measures went by, and then he started to sing. "Swaying room as the music starts, strangers making the most of the dark, two by two their bodies become one. I see you through the smoky air. Can't you feel the weight of my stare? You're so close but still a world away. What I'm dying to say is that I'm crazy for you."

Sissi looked up, and her eyes opened wide.

"Touch me once and you'll know it's true. I never wanted anyone like this. It's all brand new. You'll feel it in my kiss. I'm crazy for you: crazy for you. Trying hard to control my heart, I walk over to where you are. Eye to eye we need no words at all. Slowly now we begin to move. Every breath I'm deeper into you. Soon we two are standing still in time. If you read my mind, you'll see I'm crazy for you. Touch me once and you'll know it's true. I never wanted anyone like this. It's all brand new. You'll feel it in my kiss, I'll feel it in my kiss, because I'm crazy for you. Touch me once and you'll know it's true. I never wanted anyone like this. It's all brand new. You'll feel it in my kiss. I'm crazy for you: crazy for you. Crazy for you, trying hard to control my heart, I'm crazy for you, trying hard to control my heart."

Sissi's heart melted as she realized that he actually liked her. He hadn't known how to tell her that he actually liked her. She smiled and felt a tear go down her cheek. All this time, he wanted to tell her that he liked her. She had been afraid to tell him this whole time because she was so young, and he had been afraid to tell her because he was so much older.  
"It's all brand new. I'm crazy for you," he continued.

She smiled and started to walk toward the stage.  
"And you know it's true, yeah, I'm crazy for you." Sissi walked up on to the stage and toward him. "It's all brand new. I'm crazy for you. And you know it's true, yeah, I'm crazy for you." She smiled and ran the rest of the way, wrapping her arms around him as she got there.

He moved the mic away from his mouth. "I was afraid of what you would think because I'm older than you. No, scratch that. I was afraid of what others would think. Now, I don't care. I'm crazy for you," he whispered into her ear.

She pulled herself closer to him and smiled. Suddenly, the audience awwwed, and the two of them pulled out of the hug and looked awkwardly at the audience. Kiptyn handed the mic back to the man in charge of karaoke. They walked down the steps, away from the stage and the crowd of people staring at them. As they got out of the view of most of the people, Kiptyn took Sissi's hands into his own.

"I hope that this is alright with you," he said.

"Alright? It's more than alright. It's everything I've always wanted," she replied with a smile.

He smiled back at her. "Good."

She looked down at her hands in his and smiled. "I don't know how I'm going to tell my dad."

"And, I don't know how I'm going to tell Ayden," he replied. She smiled as she sighed. "Ok. You don't have to tell your dad about us until you're ready or he asks. If he asks why we are hanging out so much, you have to tell him, but I'll help you if you want."

"Ok. Same goes for you. You don't have to tell Ayden about us until you're ready or he asks. If he asks, you have to tell him, but I'll help you if you want." She smiled and gazed into his eyes.

"That sounds like a deal." He smiled at her bashfully. "Now, I have one more thing that I want to do with you tonight."

"And what is that?" she asked cheerfully.

"This," he replied quickly and leaned in. He quickly pressed his lips to hers and slowly her eyes closed. He wrapped his arms around her waist and she wrapped hers around him, and just like that, Sissi got her first real kiss. She may have kissed Ulrich in the past, but she knew that he had never wanted to. This was real, and they had both wanted it.

"Well, I guess you guys are together now?" Ayden asked with a laugh as he walked in with Ian and Oliver.

Sissi and Kiptyn pulled out of their kiss and looked over. "I guess I get to go first," Kiptyn said awkwardly.

Sissi laughed and nodded. "That was the deal." Kiptyn nodded and started to tell them.

**I hope you liked it.  
The song is Crazy For You by New Found Glory.  
I have no affiliation and do not own it.  
Review for a preview of the next chapter!  
You know you want one! **


	48. Get a Grip

**Sorry for the long break between updates  
I hope this makes up for anything.  
The entire chapter (or most of it anyway) is filled with Yumi Ulrich Odd Aelita and Jeremie  
I know a lot of you have been wanting that  
Anyway, enjoy!  
Review for a preview!**

**No Matter What They Say**

**Chapter 48: Get a Grip**

Yumi raised her head off of Ulrich's shoulder and turned to look at him. "Thanks," she said with a smile. "I'm going to go wake everyone." Ulrich nodded and watched Yumi leave and kick the others in the feet to wake them up. Aelita woke up slowly and felt slightly embarrassed as she remembered Odd's bare body pressed to her. Odd woke up and smiled at her, but then also got slowly embarrassed at the fact he was topless and pressed to Aelita. After Jeremie became conscious, Yumi told them that her shift was over and that Ulrich was taking over. They all mumbled in acknowledgement and headed back to sleep. As soon as they closed their eyes, Yumi headed back out to Ulrich.

Yumi gave a small yawn as she sat down next to Ulrich and covered herself with the towels again. "You can go back in again and sleep. I'll watch for the next few hours," he suggested.

Yumi yawned again, but shook her head. "No way. You stayed out here while I was watching, the least I can do is stay out here and watch with you," she insisted and laid her head back down on his shoulder.

Ulrich laughed softly and rested his head against hers. "You really don't have to stay out here if you're tired."

"I'm not tired," Yumi denied through another yawn.

Ulrich laughed softly again. "Whatever you say," he said with a smile. Yumi yawned again and her eyes began to flutter open and closed as she tried to stay awake. "You can go back in at any time and sleep if you want."

"No, no. I'll stay out here with you." She closed her eyes again, and it began to get harder for her to keep them open. Ulrich smiled and wrapped his arm around her waist.

"You know, I love you so much," he whispered. She nodded. Ulrich smiled at her way of saying 'I love you, too.' "I'm kind of glad you dragged me along on this. If you hadn't, I wouldn't have been able to spend all of this time with you." Yumi nodded slightly. "Today wasn't a terrible day. It was actually fun in a kind of weird way." Ulrich continued to whisper to Yumi until she fell asleep on his shoulder. About twenty minutes into his shift, she slipped down from his shoulder and into his lap. Ulrich didn't mind and just covered her up with the towels, leaving only her head exposed. Then, he rested his hand on her back and began to brush the hair out of her face. He smiled and watched over her as she slept. She slept peacefully the whole time without tossing or turning. By the end of his shift, Yumi was still asleep. Ulrich checked his phone carefully as to not wake Yumi. It was nearly four in the morning, the end of his shift. Just then he noticed that he didn't have service. There was no way to contact anyone back at the resort. That made him a little worried, and decided to tell the others about what he had discovered.

He gently shook Yumi awake, and she slowly sat up. "Oh, I'm sorry, Ulrich. I didn't mean to fall asleep on you," she said and chuckled slightly at the double meaning she hadn't intended. "Is your shift already over?"

"Yeah, it is."

"Oh, I'm sorry," she said with a yawn as she stretched. "I really didn't mean to fall asleep."

"It's fine," Ulrich said with a smile. "I'm kind of worried."

"About what?" she asked seriously and turned to look at him.

"My phone doesn't have service anymore. What if we can't contact anyone back at the resort? What if we get stuck up here for another week or two? I don't think I can handle it. My stomach started growling a few minutes ago, and I couldn't feed it because I've got to eat rationed food. I'm not trying to be like Odd or anything, but I know how he feels. I'm just worried that no one will be able to get up here and find us."

"Maybe someone else's phone has service. I'll check mine." Yumi pulled her phone out of her pocket and checked for service. She held it up and moved it around, but had no luck. "Mine's out of service too. Maybe Jeremie, Odd, or Aelita will have more luck."

"Face it, Yumi. We're going to be stuck up here forever." He sighed and placed his head into his hands.

"Don't say that," Yumi stated sternly. "We'll get out of this somehow, just you wait and see."

-m-

The rest of the night was short. Yumi decided to take another shift, and by six in the morning they woke everyone up to start the day. It was an early rise, but Ulrich thought it would be best if they tried to get out of their predicament as soon as possible. After everyone was fully awake and they had eaten their "breakfast" (two cheese crackers each), Ulrich decided to tell them his worries.

"Guys, neither Yumi's nor my phone have service. Could you guys check yours?" he said, trying not to worry too much.

They all pulled out their phones and held them around the cave. None of them had service either. Odd looked at his phone to Ulrich to the others. "What are we going to do? How are we going to get out of here?" Odd looked around wildly. "We're going to be stuck here forever! Or until we die!"

"Odd, get a grip. We're not going to die here!" Ulrich shouted at him. "We just don't have our cell phones to work with."

Odd started acting hysterical and shouting about how this was the end and that he loved each and every one of them. He continued his speech by telling all of the bad things that he did that he didn't mean to do and he was sorry about, like stealing Ulrich's diary and copying pages of it so that he could make fliers to go around the school, copying Jeremie's homework when he wasn't looking, and borrowing Yumi's bra for something he didn't mention. All the while Odd was having a fit and Ulrich was trying to calm him down, Aelita had taken Odd's phone from him. She was fiddling with his and her own. Odd continued his rant, saying how much he would miss the way Ms. Hertz yelled at him when he fell asleep, the way Kiwi chewed at Ulrich's pillow when he got bored, and the way Jim never told any of his passed experiences.

"…and I'll miss how much of what Jeremie said I never understood," Odd continued to mutter.

"Odd, will you stop your blubbering. We're going to get out of here," Ulrich shouted at him.

"Guys," Aelita said, but no one paid attention.

"I'll never get to see my diggity-dog again," Odd whined.

"Guys," Aelita said again, more insistently.

"Goodbye, cruel world," Odd shouted dramatically.

"Odd, will you shut up!" Aelita shouted. Everyone's mouth dropped open as they turned to look at Aelita. "Well, now that I've got your attention, I have something to say. I've taken apart Odd's phone and mine so that I could take the DSP card out of one of them and put it in the other. By reworking the system of my phone, I've been able to adapt it so that it has twice as much coverage, and now it has one bar."

"That's great, Aelita," Yumi said with a huge smile on her face. "How did you know how to do that?"

"I'm good with computers," she said with a small smile.

"You mean we're going to live?" Odd asked.

Aelita shook her head and laughed. "Yes, Odd. We're going to live. All we have to do is decide who to call."

"That's easy," Yumi said.

"Jamisimanoki," they all stated at the same time, their voices overlapping.

"What?" Odd asked. "We all know that we should call Milly."

"Um, no. We should call my brother. Hiroki's bound to be looking for us now," Yumi said.

"Hiroki? He wouldn't look for you. We should call Sissi," Ulrich suggested. "She's probably been looking for me since I didn't show up last night."

"Armand is the logically choice," Jeremie stated. "He works with the rescue team. He'll know what to do."

"You're all wrong. We should call Jared," Aelita insisted. "He's the most responsible one. He'd know what to do."

"Are you kidding me?" Odd asked and turned toward her.

"Oh, you know he'd be a good person to call. You can't still be jealous, can you?" she asked.

"No, not at all," he said defensively. "I just know a better person to call."

"Yeah, sure. Milly was a great suggestion," she said sarcastically.

"Guys, really. Armand works for the building. He'll know what we should do. He'll help us get out of this mess," Jeremie reasoned.

"Yeah, he sure has helped us a lot already," Odd said and rolled his eyes. "He just told us to sit up here and do nothing!"

"Well, at least he told us something!" Jeremie shouted.

"Yeah, something pointless!" Odd retorted and moved closer to him.

"Stop being an idiot! You know Armand will help us," Jeremie said and moved closer to him. Odd gritted his teeth. "Just listen to me!"

Soon, Odd and Jeremie were in a full on dispute. Jeremie was yelling and screaming. Odd was screaming back. Jeremie insulted Odd. Odd insulted Jeremie. Jeremie insulted him again. One thing led to another, and soon, fists were flying. Odd punched Jeremie in the face. Jeremie tumbled to the ground and felt his face. He couldn't feel any blood, but he didn't care. He stood up quickly and knocked Odd's legs out from under him. Odd stood back up and glared hatefully at Jeremie.

"Go on, do it again!" he taunted. "Do it again!" Jeremie nervously stared at Odd, contemplating the situation. He balled up his hand into a fist. "Go on! Do it again!"

"Stop it, Odd!" Aelita shouted at him. She put her hand on Odd's shoulder, but he violently shrugged her off. She took a step back. "Guys, this is stupid. Stop it!"

"Come on, Jeremie. Hit me!" Odd taunted.

"Odd, stop it!" Ulrich shouted at him. "You're being a jerk. Just drop it."

"No!" Odd shouted. "I am sick and tired of this guy always telling me what to do. 'Odd, you need to get better grades.' 'Odd, you need to study more.' 'Odd, don't play with your food.' 'Odd, go protect Aelita.' 'Odd, stop being an idiot.' 'Odd, give me back my _property_.' Well you know what? I'm fed up with him. If he wants to tell me what to do, he better back it up with a threat. Go on. Threaten me! Hit me! Knock me over! Convince me to do what you say!"

Jeremie balled his fist up tightly. His hand shook in anger. "Aelita was mine!" he finally shouted as he threw all his energy into a punch that hit Odd's cheek and spun him around. "She was mine, and you knew it! You knew it!" He pulled him up by the collar and punched him again.

Ulrich lunged forward to get Jeremie off of Odd, but Yumi grabbed his arm and pulled him back. Ulrich spun around quickly. "He's going to hurt him!"

"Odd asked for it," Yumi said. "You can't do anything about it."

Ulrich gritted his teeth in anger, but didn't try to break them up.

"Aelita was with me! She wanted me! She cared about me! And, you just came along and took her!" Jeremie shouted in Odd's face. He dropped Odd's collar. Odd struggled to get up.

Odd wiped the blood from his mouth. "You don't get it! Aelita was miserable! You yelled at her! You ignored her! You forgot her time and time again! She didn't care about you! She only wanted to help you because she thought she owed it to you!" Odd threw a punch at Jeremie's face, but he dodged it.

Jeremie took it as a good chance and punched him. Odd stumbled, but didn't fall. "You think you know Aelita so well! What's her favorite food? How does she like to spend her time when she doesn't have homework? Who's her favorite artist? What's her favorite flavor of ice cream?" Odd spewed at him. "Answer any of those questions!" Jeremie thought inside himself. He looked at Odd for a moment. Odd smiled. "You don't know."

"I know plenty more about Aelita than you do!" Jeremie shouted. He threw another punch, but this time he missed.

"Go on then, answer a question!" Odd yelled. "Do it! You don't know her! You don't LOVE her!"

Jeremie yelled out in anger and threw another punch that missed. Frustrated, he screamed and ran toward Odd. He gripped the sides of him, leaned against him and ran him out and into a tree. Odd let out a breath as he hit the tree. He winced and fell to the ground.

Aelita yelled out a startled cry. Tears began to run down her face. She quickly ran toward where Odd lay. She knelt down and leaned over him as a shield. "Don't you dare hurt him anymore!" she screamed up at Jeremie. "This has gone on long enough!"

Jeremie glared down the both of them. "You can't honestly be choosing him."

"Stop it!" she shouted. "Just, stop it! Can't you see that you're actually hurting him?"

Jeremie's face softened for a moment as he saw that Odd was legitimately hurt and not faking it. It only stayed for a moment before his rage kicked in again. "No! No! No! You can't choose him!"

"Jeremie, I can't be fought over! If you loved me, you would stop this nonsense." She looked up at him with her eyes full of tears. "Besides, do you really know anything about me?" Her lip quivered as she awaited a response.

"Of course I do!" he shouted. "I know all about you."

"Name something," she challenged.

Jeremie thought to himself. "You were born here and raised by a man named Franz Hopper. At age 12, you were taken into the supercom-."

She shook her head to stop him. "No. Not my background. Do you know something about me?"

Jeremie thought for a second. "You like to read in your spare time."

"Sure, but not near as much as I like to mix music, take walks in the forest, go ice skating, or play in the leaves in fall." She shook her head.

Jeremie thought quickly for something else. "Your favorite food is a turkey sandwich," he said after a moment of hesitation.

"They're good, but not nearly as good as ice cream, cinnamon raisin bagels, angel hair pasta, or strawberry cheesecake," she said and shook her head again. "Face it you just don't know me like you think you do." Tears ran down her face. She looked down at Odd whose eyes were closed and whose blood stained the snow around them. She pulled him into her and wept. "If you're going to be like this, I don't think we can even be friends," she mumbled nearly incoherently.

Jeremie clenched his hands into a fist and crinkled up his brow. "You can't be saying that."

"Well, Jeremie, I am. I tried to be your friend, but you just can't seem to handle it. I want you to leave me alone. I'm sick of this. Until you can learn to deal with what I want, I don't want you near me." After this was said, she bit hard on her lip and continued to cry. Jeremie clenched his hands harder, thought about saying something, but turned away. He strode off toward the cave and left the others in the cold.

"Odd. Odd. Are you ok?" Aelita asked as she cradled his head in her arms. Odd groaned and cringed. "Odd, please open your eyes. I can't take you getting hurt so much. Does your head hurt?"

"Aelita?" he asked as his eyes fluttered open. "Ah, my head's throbbing," he muttered and reached up to hold his head in place. "Who knew Jeremie could fight?"

Aelita gave a small laugh in relief. "Thank god you're ok," she said and wrapped her arms around him in a huge embrace. She smiled at him and then hit him playfully on the shoulder. "Don't ever do that again, Odd DellaRobbia. Do you hear me? You two should never fight over me again! I'm sick of it."

Odd cringed slightly as he smiled. "Alright. I know it was stupid, but he needed it. I think he'll leave us alone now."

"But at what price? You could be seriously injured."

"I doubt it. My mouth only hurts a little. It'll probably just be a bruise, maybe a little swollen. My head will clear up soon. It's probably only a little bump." He shrugged.

"Ugh," she sighed. "I'll never get through to you. Anyway, we still need to call someone."

"I'm not deciding. Call whoever you want," he said. She smiled and helped him up onto his feet. "I really am sorry."

"I know," she whispered.

They stumbled over to where Yumi and Ulrich were standing. They all talked it out and decided that the best person to call was Sissi. They walked over to a tree and sat down. Odd leaned against it for support and grasped Aelita's left hand in both of his. She smiled and dialed Sissi's number from her phone, hoping that she would answer her phone this early.

-m-

Sissi groaned and looked over to where she had placed her phone. She looked at the caller id and saw that it was Aelita. Her eyes opened wide and she opened her phone quickly and pressed it to her ear. "Hello? Aelita? Are you alright? Where are you? I tried calling last night, but no one answered their phone. Are you safe? Is Ulrich safe?"

_"Sissi! Thank god you answered your phone. Everyone is fine for the most part. Odd's a little hurt, but he'll be fine. Sissi, you need to listen to me carefully. My phone may go out at any second so I'm going to be brief. The five of us are stuck on one of the ski slopes. Don't ask how. We need your help. Get help and come get us. We've only got a little food left, and it's freezing out here. Get help."_

Sissi nodded. "I'll try my best. I'll help you guys. I was so worried about you when you didn't come back."

_"Sissi, don't waist any time. We need your help. We're down at the bottom of a family slope in a cave in the woods. If you call for us, we'll be able to hear you. Bring help and food. We're counting-."_

Aelita's voice cut off. Sissi pulled her phone away and looked at it. The call had ended. Aelita had warned her about that, so she wasn't too worried about that. She knew what she had to do. She got up off the couch bed and walked over to Kiptyn's bed. She shook him awake. They were going to wake up in 15 minutes or so anyway to get ready for the pool. "Kiptyn, wake up!"

He groaned and rolled over. He opened his eyes. As soon as he saw the worried expression on her face, he bolted upright. "What's wrong, Sissi?"

"My friends are in trouble. You know, the ones that we went skiing with. You know how we couldn't find them last night, and how when I called them, I couldn't reach any of them. Well, one just called me," she said quickly.

"And, where are they? Are they ok?" he asked as he got out of bed and hurried over to get some clothes.

"They're still on the ski slopes. They've been out there all night! We've got to go help them!"

"What!" he asked. He stopped rummaging through his clothes. "It's freezing out there! How could they have been left behind?"

"She didn't say. She didn't have time. She just said that she was stuck down one of the family slopes. We've got to help them," she repeated on the edge of tears. "Ulrich and the others are out there, freezing."

"Ok, go to your room. Get some warm clothes on. We're going out after them." Sissi smiled and thanked him. "I'll meet you up at your room later. I'll get dressed, and see if the other guys'll help. By then, you should be ready. Don't worry. We'll get them."

She smiled again and nodded. "I'll see you in a few minutes," she said and grabbed her stuff as she headed out the door.

Kiptyn quickly turned around and rummaged through his clothes. As he grabbed some warm clothes for himself, he turned toward his roommates and shook them awake. "Guys, I need your help."

"What is it, Kip? Can't it wait? I'm, sleeping," Ayden groaned. "Did ya knock the girl up already?" He chuckled and rolled over.

"Oh, quit joking. There are some friends of mine that got stuck up on the mountain, and we need your help to get them down," he insisted and shook his again.

Ayden rolled over and covered his head with a pillow. Oliver yawned, rose calmly to his feet and got dressed. Kiptyn groaned and shook Ayden again. "Come on, Ayden. I need your help."

He grumbled. "Why? You can't expect me to get out in that blizzard."

"Yes I do. Now, get out of bed," Kiptyn insisted.

"She's your girlfriend. Why do I have to help you help her? I never spend that much effort on my chicks," Ayden complained.

Kiptyn groaned. "The people working in this building aren't helping them! They're trapped out there. They can't get back. We're going to help them!" Kiptyn shouted. "Now, get some clothes on, or you're going out in your underwear! We're using your snowmobiles."

Ayden turned over and looked up at him. At the word snowmobiles, he smiled and got out of bed. "Deal."

**I hope you loved it  
If not, tell me how to fix it  
either way, review for a preview of the next chapter!  
Oh, and I'd just like to say that Na Na Na by MCR is certainly an awesome song that you should look up!**


	49. My Best

**Sorry I haven't updated in like 7 years  
Hopefully this will make up for it.  
Enjoy.**

**No Matter What They Say**

**Chapter 49: My Best**

"Hello? Sissi?" Aelita asked. She pulled the phone away from her ear and looked at it. She didn't have any more service. "Well, I think she got the message. She at least knows that we're up here. I hope she comes soon."

Everyone nodded in agreement. "Agh," Odd groaned and pulled his hands away from Aelita's so he could clutch his head. He cringed and closed his eyes.

"Odd, are you sure you're ok?" Yum asked. "He did ram you against that tree pretty hard. I think you might have a concussion or something."

Odd didn't respond. He continued to cringe and lean over with his head in his hands. He began to rub his temples.

"Odd, open your eyes. Look at me," Aelita said. "Odd, please open your eyes." She turned so that she was sitting in front of him. She pulled his chin up so it was level with hers. She grasped one of his hands and rubbed it with her thumb. "Please open your eyes, Odd," she whispered nervously.

He didn't let go of his head, but he opened his eyes. Aelita smiled and looked into them, checking for signs of a concussion, just as Ulrich had to her earlier. His eyes looked normal to her, but she wanted to be safe. "Yumi, Ulrich, I think we need to let Odd rest. He shouldn't think or do much for a while, but he can't sleep." They nodded.

"How do we do that?" Ulrich asked. "It's not like we can shake him to keep him awake. That might damage him even more."

Aelita shrugged. "We should just do all that we can. Also, I think he should get some fluids. We're going to have to try and melt some snow any way we can."

"Why not just have him put it in his mouth until it melts, and then have him drink it? Isn't that easy enough?" Yumi asked.

"Sure, I guess," Aelita replied. "I think we should all drink some, but not too much. We're probably getting dehydrated. The only problem with snow is that I remember something about it lowering body temperature and possibly leading to hypothermia. I don't want us to drink too much. Yumi, you and Ulrich should go and find some snow that hasn't been stepped on and isn't too dirty. Bring back as much as you can carry. If we drink it over a long period of time, I don't think it will be too bad. I'll stay with Odd." They both nodded and headed off into the woods nearby.

Odd had closed his eyes again and was cringing still. Aelita's eyes teared up at the sight of him in pain. She reached toward him and gently placed her hand on the back of his head and ran it slowly down the back of his head and neck. "How is it that you are always the one that is getting hurt?" Aelita whispered. "I don't think I'm going to be able to take much more of this." She chuckled softly, trying to make light of the situation. She slowly moved to the left side of him as if the slightest movement would hurt him. She wrapped her arm carefully around Odd's waist and pulled herself closer to him. She slowly placed her head on his shoulder. "You shouldn't get into fights," Aelita uttered nearly silently. She rested her head there for another minute before pulling away. She looked at him to make sure he was still awake. He was. Odd's cringe slackened for a moment as if the pain had momentarily lessened. At that time, Odd's eyes opened for a few seconds. Aelita smiled at him and ran her hand down the back of his head and neck again. Odd tried to smile as best he could. He cringed again and shut his eyes. This time the pain was only sharp for a short time, and when it dulled, he opened his eyes again to look at Aelita. She smiled again.

"You should rest," she urged. "Close your eyes and try not to think about anything. I'll be here the whole time." He gave her a half smile and removed his hand from his head. He reached over and tried to grab the back of her neck gently, although it wasn't as gentle because he was cringing in pain. He then pulled her head toward his and kissed her forehead. He let go, and she pulled back again. She smiled at him. "You really should rest. You probably have a huge headache. I don't want you to strain yourself. I really want you to be ok."

He reached out and took her hand. "Thanks, Aelita," he whispered before he cringed again and closing his eyes as if by doing so he could block out all of the pain he was feeling. Aelita was going to let go of his hand so that he could rest, but as she tried to take her hand back, he squeezed it and kept it. Aelita smiled.

Just then, Yumi and Ulrich returned with heaping pills of snow in their arms. "This is as much as we could get," Ulrich said and emptied his hands of the snow. Yumi did the same.

"Thanks," Aelita said and took a handful and popped it into her mouth. She let it melt and drank it. The others did the same.

"How are we going to get Odd to drink some?" Yumi asked. "Has he responded to anything?"

"He opened his eyes a few minutes ago," Aelita stated, not mentioning the kiss on the forehead. "He still looks like he has a massive headache."

"Yeah, I feel really bad for him, but he never should have got in that fight in the first place," Yumi said. "I guess someone should feed him shouldn't they? Ulrich, you can do it." She smiled at him.

Ulrich shook his head. "I know he's my friend and all, but that's really weird. I don't think I can feed him snow. Someone else should do it."

"Well, you're sympathetic," Yumi said and glared at him. "He's your friend, and you won't even help him out."

"Oh, just get him to open his eyes and feed himself," Ulrich said. "He's got to get over the headache eventually. He might as well try now."

"You are being so insensitive!" Yumi shouted at him.

"Guys," Aelita said, trying to get their attention. She looked to Odd who was cringing even more after they had started shouting. "Guys!" Aelita shouted again and got their attention. "Don't worry about it. If you don't feel like you can do it, that's fine. I'll feed him if you want me to. It's not a big deal. He can eat by himself. It's not like you have to chew it for him. I think you two should go back in the cave with Jeremie. Maybe you can get him to act his age, and maybe you two can act your ages too. I don't know why everyone has to fight all the time. What Odd needs is some peace and quiet. I know I can be quiet, but I'm not so sure about everyone else." She shook her head in disgust. "Maybe it's just all of this bad weather and no food that is making us all upset, but I don't like it. I hope that we can all go back to the way we used to when all of this is over because I miss my friends. I miss the people I used to hang out with because that isn't you guys."

Yumi stared down at Aelita with her mouth slightly open. "I'm sorry, Aelita. I didn't mean to start yelling."

"I'm sure you didn't. Just go. I'll be here if you need me because, as of now, Odd needs me, and I refuse to abandon him," she stated. "Just go inside with Jeremie."

"I'm sorry," Yumi muttered, but didn't stay. She turned and left. Ulrich didn't say anything and followed her away.

It got quiet and hardly any sound could be heard. Not even the wind could be heard blowing. Aelita couldn't take it any longer. As hard as she tried, she couldn't pretend to be brave any longer. She burst into tears and flung herself onto Odd's lap. She rested her head against his leg and cried. She brushed her tears away often for fear of them freezing to her face, but she continued to cry. She didn't want to break down like that, but she just couldn't help it.

"I'm so sorry, Odd," she whispered as tears ran down her face. "I just wish things could go back to the way they were." She felt a hand rubbing her back, and she jolted up. She looked at Odd whose eyes were open. "Are you feeling better?" Aelita asked in a hushed voice as she wiped her tears away.

"I've still got a headache," he said in a whisper, "but, it's not as bad as it was."

"You should drink some snow. Let it melt first, and then you can drink it. Don't have too much though. I don't want you to get hyperthermia again." He nodded and took a handful.

"Why are you crying?" he asked after he swallowed the cold water.

"It's nothing. It's stupid," she said and shook her head. "I'm just being stupid."

"How many times do I have to tell you that you're not stupid, Aelita?" Odd asked. "Now really, what's wrong? Let it out."

"Oh, Odd," she burst out. "I'm miserable. Everyone is fighting. No one is the same. Jeremie hates us. He's willing to use violence to solve his problems. Yumi and Ulrich were fighting. You're injured again, and it's my fault." She began to cry again.

"Oh, Aelita," Odd whispered and pulled her close to him. "You didn't hurt me. Jeremie was the one that did this."

"But, you were fighting over me. Oh, Odd, I'm so sorry," she whispered through her tears. "We're going to be stuck up here and never become friends again."

"Don't think of that," Odd hushed. "We're going to get out of this mess. Don't worry." Aelita didn't say anything. She continued to cry and leaned into his lap again. He began to rub her back for a minute or two. "Aelita, whether or not we're all friends at the end of this, you'll still be in my heart. I'll always love you. Please don't cry." Aelita continued despite the fact that both of them wished she would stop.

"But other people won't let us be together. My whole world is crashing around me," she muttered. "I found a place where I belonged, and now it's crumbling in my grasp. Our friends are fighting, Jeremie's being a jerk, and they won't let me be with you." She continued to cry.

"Shh, Aelita. It'll all be ok." He began to hum. "We'll get through this." Aelita still cried. He decided to try something different. He lifted her off of him, and took her hand in his. Then, he began to sing softly to her. "Come stop your crying. It will be all right. Just take my hand. Hold it tight. I will protect you from all around you. I will be here. Don't you cry." He wiped her tears and continued to sing. "For one so small, you seem so strong. My arms will hold you, keep you safe and warm. This bond between us can't be broken. I will be here. Don't you cry." Aelita sniffed and wiped her tears away with her free hand as he continued his song. "'Cause you'll be in my heart. Yes, you'll be in my heart from this day on, now, and forever more. You'll be in my heart no matter what they say. You'll be here in my heart, always."

She looked into his eyes, and he nodded. She gave him a small smile and waited for him to begin again. "Why can't they understand the way we feel? They just don't trust what they can't explain. I know we're different but, deep inside us, we're not that different at all. And you'll be in my heart. Yes, you'll be in my heart from this day on, now, and forever more. Don't listen to them 'cause what do they know? We need each other, to have, to hold. They'll see in time. I know. When destiny calls you, you must be strong. I may not be with you, but you've got to hold on." He smiled at her and squeezed her hand tightly. "They'll see in time. I know. We'll show them together 'cause you'll be in my heart. Believe me. You'll be in my heart from this day on, now, and forever more. Oh, you'll be in my heart no matter what they say. You'll be here in my heart. I'll be there, always. Always, I'll be with you. I'll be there for you always, always in all ways. Just look over your shoulder, and I'll be there, always." As Odd came to an end in his song, Aelita threw her arms around him.

She pulled him tightly towards her and put her lips to his ear. "Thank you," she whispered. "I needed that more than you probably know." She pulled out of the hug and smiled at him "Where did you learn that song?"

"It's in a movie a used to watch as a kid. I'll have to show it to you sometime," Odd said with a smile.

"I'd like that," she remarked. "You need to rest. If you do have a concussion, I don't want it to get any worse. Rest, but don't fall asleep. I'll be here to make sure you stay awake. Don't worry."

"Oh, I'm not worried," he said with a smile and leaned against the tree and shut his eyes. He continued to clutch Aelita's hand in his own. As he closed his eyes, he took deep breaths and played with Aelita's hand. He wiggled her fingers, rubbed the palm with his thumb, and walked his fingers over the back. She sat next to him and enjoyed the feeling of Odd playing with her fingers. At certain points, she had to try not to laugh to loud because she didn't want to hurt his head but, he was tickling her hand.

-m-

"I feel bad about yelling," Yumi said as she sat next to Ulrich in the cave. "Aelita's right. We shouldn't have argued over something so stupid. I wish she didn't have to go through so much terrible stuff."

"Yeah, me too, but what can we do?" Ulrich asked. "It's not like we can just rewind this entire month and make it so that Jeremie really made it to the music video shot."

"I don't think that Aelita would have liked that either. I'm glad she's not with Jeremie any more," Yumi whispered. "Odd's a much better guy, even if he can be stupid at times. I don't think we'd have to rewind that far."

"You know what I mean." Ulrich sighed. "Do you think we should go check on them?"

"Nah," Yumi said and shook her head. "I think we'd better give her some time to cool down, you know? I just feel like she needs some time to think. Life's been pretty hard on her. I mean, you and I both know that Aelita wouldn't normally blow up like that."

"Yeah, I know. I just feel like we should do something," Ulrich said. He stood up and walked over toward the entrance. He took a look outside. Over where Odd sat, Aelita was crying, lying in his lap. He watched as she wiped her tears away, but continued to lay there. "I really do feel for her, Yumi." As he continued to look Aelita's way, Ulrich noticed Odd open his eyes and begin to rub her back. Ulrich smiled. Then he turned and motioned Yumi to come over and watch with him.

"Look," Ulrich stated, motioning toward Odd and Aelita. "You can see him cringing still, and yet he cares more about her happiness. You know, I never knew Odd had such a kind heart. I mean, I knew he was nice, but I didn't know he was that selfless."

"I think it's Aelita," Yumi replied.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"I mean, I think he's being so kind hearted because of Aelita. I think Aelita is bringing out the best in Odd. She has a tendency to do that to people." Yumi smiled at them both. "I think we should go back inside."

"Oh, why?"

"I don't know. I guess I just feel like we're prying a little. This is their moment to share. I don't want to take it away from them," Yumi stated and turned to head back over to the wall of the cave. Ulrich took one last glance at Odd and Aelita before following Yumi and taking a seat next to her. "I'm so glad that they're together. I don't think Aelita could have gone through all of this alone."

Ulrich nodded. "Yumi, you do think that we'll get out of this, don't you?" he asked in a hushed voice.

Yumi pondered for a moment. "I hope so." Ulrich looked in her eyes and felt the second layer of meaning from them. She hoped so. She wasn't positive. He smiled at her anyway, trying to reassure himself and her as well. Yumi's stomach began to growl. She clutched it tightly to try and muffle the noise before anyone could hear it.

"You need to eat something," Ulrich said. "We all do."

"Oh, you heard that?" Yumi asked. "I'm fine though. I can do without. Besides, we only have a little left. We might as well save it until it's colder, like tonight."

"I was hoping that we'd be out of here before tonight rolls around. We might as well eat some now," he insisted. Yumi shook her head in disagreement. "Yumi, don't be stubborn."

"No, really. We should wait a few more hours. We'll eat then."

"Promise?" Ulrich asked. Yumi nodded. "Fine. We'll all eat something in an hour or two."

Aelita and Odd walked in and sat against the wall across from Yumi and Ulrich. Odd was still clutching his head, but he wasn't wincing as much, and his eyes stayed open. Both of them ignored Jeremie completely. "So…," Aelita started and trailed off. "I couldn't help but hear you say something about eating. I'm actually starting to get really hungry."

"Yumi and I decided that we'd all eat in another hour or two. Do you think you can wait that long?" Ulrich asked. Odd groaned but didn't complain. "It's just another hour or two."

"You know, some scientists believe that hunger can be satisfied just by giving the mouth something to do. There were a few tests conducted about it. One had a group of men suck on ping-pong balls. After a good ten minutes, they were no longer hungry. Another test was something about just moving your lips and chewing your tongue. After a while, that group of people wasn't hungry any more either. So maybe you could try stimulating your mouth to try and get your hunger to subside, Odd," Aelita suggested.

"Well, I'm not positive about what the word stimulating means, but I think I have a good idea, and it doesn't involve ping-pong balls," Odd said and smiled.

Aelita raised an eyebrow at him, and before she knew it, Odd was kissing her. For a moment she got lost in what was happening, but after a few seconds she realized what was going on and pulled away from him, blushing as red as a tomato.

Ulrich smirked and tried not to laugh. Yumi covered her mouth to muffle a chuckle of her own. "What?" Odd asked Aelita. "You told me I should 'stimulate my mouth'. Wasn't that the correct definition?"

Aelita turned redder than she already was. "Well, find something else to stimulate your mouth with."

"Aww, but you're the tastiest, Aelita," Odd said and smiled at her. Aelita's eyes went wide and she blushed again. She looked from Odd to Yumi and Ulrich. They were all smirking, and Yumi was covering her mouth again to stop herself from laughing. Aelita stood up and walked out of the cave and away, muttering something inaudible as she went.

"I think you might've gone a little too far with that last remark, Odd," Ulrich stated. "I don't think she took it as a joke even though it was really funny."

Odd shook his head. "That's not it. She just doesn't like PDAs. I probably shouldn't have done that in front of you guys."

"Well, don't you think you should go after her?" Yumi asked. "I mean it was funny to us, but not to her. Aren't you going to go after her to apologize?"

"Why would I do that? She'll come around as soon as the embarrassment wears off. I mean, I really didn't do anything wrong," he said. Yumi glared at him. "Fine. I'll go talk with her, but I'm not apologizing." He stood up and followed Aelita's footprints away from the cave.

It wasn't long before he found her. She was only a few yards away sitting under a tree. He walked over and sat next to her. "It was meant to be a joke," he said as he sat down.

"Oh, I know. I know how you work," she said but didn't look at him. She looked off into the distance. She was clutching her legs to her chest.

"Then why are you mad at me?" he asked.

"Oh, I'm not mad."

"I don't get it. If you're not mad at me, and you knew it was a joke, than why did you leave like that?" he asked.

"Well, I already told you how I don't like 'PDAs', and, well, I don't particularly like being laughed at when I'm already embarrassed. I just left because I didn't want to be laughed at. Besides, I didn't really want to be around Jeremie anyway." She continued to stare out away from Odd.

Odd watched her for a while without saying anything. He studied the way she clutched her legs to her chest and the way she stared out toward nothing in particular. "There's something you aren't telling me," he said after twenty minutes of silence. "What is it?"

"Nothing," she said without turning toward him.

"Aelita," Odd urged. "I know you too well. What aren't you telling me? Why aren't you even looking at me?"

"There's no reason." She continued to stare toward nothing.

"Aelita." Odd took his hand and brushed the side of her face. He pushed a few stands of hair behind her ear. "Please tell me. If it is about the kiss, I'll stop doing that in public if you really want me too. If it's about me complaining about being hungry, I'll try to stop. Please talk to me about whatever it is. I don't think I can handle not knowing though. Whatever it is can't you just tell me about it? Are you mad at me still? Is that why you refuse to even look in my direction? Please tell me. Whatever it is, I'm sure I can make it up to you."

"Odd, please stop. It's nothing you did." She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. As she opened her eyes she looked to the sky and then back into the distance.

"So there is something. If I didn't do it, than what's wrong?" he asked.

Aelita sighed. "Oh, I don't know. It's just that as I was sitting out here before you came out, I realized how much colder it's getting. It's probably a good ten degrees colder than it was yesterday, and if you look at those clouds, you can tell that it'll start snowing again in a few hours. I guess I'm starting to get worried. I'm starting to feel hungry again, and I know we don't have a lot of food. I know that humans can technically live for 2-3 weeks without food, but when you're living through it, it's really scary. What if we never get out of this mess? What if Sissi never comes?"

"You said it yourself that we'd be able to get out of this," Odd stated, trying to be as reassuring as possible. "Sissi will get here."

She turned and looked at him with fear in her eyes, legitimate fear. "Odd, I don't want to die up here. Not after all the work I've put into this relationship. Not after all of the obstacles that I've had to jump to get this far."

"You're not going to die," Odd said forcefully. He shook her hand away from her legs and grasped both of them. "So help me, I will carry you down this entire mountain if I have to. You will not die up here! If Sissi can't get us out of here, I will. I'll ski all the way down with you on my back if I have to. You're going to grow up with me. We'll have so many memories together. We'll triumph over other people. We won't care what they think of us. We'll dance outside during thunderstorms. We'll sing when the world is crying. We'll laugh at things that aren't funny. We'll cut class to go ice skating. We'll have ice cream for lunch and breakfast for dinner. Then once we've done everything we could possibly do, we'll go back and do it all over again. You're not going to die here! We're going to grow up together, laughing and dancing all the way. We'll die together a long long time from now somewhere far away from here and our kids and grandkids will come to our funeral and play music and sing songs that will remind them of how much we loved life and used it. You have too much to live for. You couldn't possibly die here."

Aelita smiled and jumped toward Odd, wrapping her arms around him and pulling him into a tight hug. "Thanks. I don't know how you do it, but you always seem to know the right thing to say. I really needed that." Odd smiled and wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer to him.

"I try my best," he whispered and gave a small laugh.

"If I had to get stuck out here, I'm really glad that you had to get stuck out here with me, and that I'm not all alone. You've made this a little more bearable," Aelita said with a smile. She pulled out of the hug and stared at Odd.

"I try my best."

**Ok, I hope you liked it.  
The song was You'll be in my heart by Phil Collins.  
It was shown on Tarzan.  
I do not own any of it.  
Review for a Preview of the next chapter.**


	50. Lucky

**I'm so sorry for not updating sooner!  
I know that many of you have been waiting.  
I hope that you enjoy this.  
I've been so busy with school I just never had time to update.  
So, review for a preview!  
P.S. Go AVENGED SEVENFOLD! I'M GOING TO THE CONCERT ON SATURDAY! haha I'm pumped!**

**No Matter What They Say**

**Chapter 50: Lucky**

Sissi rummaged through her clothes as quickly as she could. She grabbed a long-sleeved dark green shirt, her white ski pants, and a heavy black and white jacket. She put them on as quickly as she could, fumbling with the sleeves a little. She also grabbed some gloves and put them on as well as a snow cap. All the while she nervously thought of her friends out in the snow. The thought of Ulrich out in the snow, freezing all night, pained her heart. Although she had a boyfriend, she still could not loose the feelings she had for Ulrich. She worried about how they were going to get them and not get trapped themselves, but she knew what had to be done. She checked her phone to see if she had any more messages. She didn't. Her anxiety grew as the minutes drew on. Kiptyn and the others should be coming soon. When she heard a knock on the door, she nearly had a heart attack because she was so antsy.

She bolted up and opened the door. She stuffed her phone, room key, and a couple of dollars in her pocket and shut the door behind her. "We can go now," she insisted and started to head down the hallway toward the elevator.

"Hold it, girly," Ayden said and grabbed her wrist. "You don't have any idea what you're doing."

"Well, I do know that we shouldn't just be standing here," she said, tugging on her wrist. "We need to go."

"Now, hold up. Think rationally. They've been out there all night. We've been having record lows. Last night got as low as -13 degrees, and you want to just go and rush right out there? I don't think so." Ayden shook his head at her. "We need to be more prepared. If you were out in that weather for a day straight, what would you want the people rescuing you to bring?"

Sissi thought for a moment or two. "Blankets. Lots of blankets."

"Good. I'd want food," Ayden added. "Anything else?" He waited for a minute, and when no one else said anything, he continued. "Alright. That's what we'll get. Kip. You and your lady can go get some food. Make sure it's good food. No chips, snack mixes, crackers, or junk. Get sandwiches or tortillas or muffins or something like that. Oliver and I'll sneak into the maid's closet and get blankets. Meet in the lobby in five minutes." Kiptyn nodded and they headed off on their missions.

Ayden and Oliver ran down the hallways and into one of the final rooms labeled: Storage Room. Inside was a bunch of equipment, toilet paper, sheets, towels, and other things that should obviously go in the rooms. Ayden grabbed as many blankets as he could find. When Ayden finished he looked at Oliver to see that his hands were nearly empty. "Why didn't you grab any towels?"

"They might need this more," Oliver stated and turned to head out the door. In his hands were a first aid kit and a rope. Ayden shrugged and followed him. They headed toward the elevator and then down to the first floor. Kiptyn and Sissi were already waiting for them when they arrived in the lobby. Kiptyn had some sandwiches and Sissi had a few bagels.

"Are we ready?" Sissi asked, impatiently.

"Sure," Ayden said. "Come on." He led them outside, around the building, and to the parking garage in the back. They ran toward a small back storage area. Ayden handed his blankets to Oliver and opened it with a key. Inside were six snowmobiles, each of them containing a box on the back and a key in the ignition.

"Are these all yours?" Sissi asked.

"Well, my family's anyway. I technically only own the red one, which I will be using so paws off. You know how to ride?" Ayden asked.

Sissi got nervous again. She was only 14 and couldn't drive one legally, even if she wanted to. "No. I'm um only 14, remember?"

"So, Oliver knows how to drive and he's 15. Well, I don't know, Kip. I'm not sure if I want her driving my mobiles."

"Come on, Ayden," Kiptyn insisted. "Give her a quick lesson and let her drive. We need as many as we can get." Ayden sighed but agreed. He quickly showed her how they worked and what to do. She wasn't amazing, but she was able to control herself without crashing. All four put their things in the boxes on the back of the mobiles. Once everything was set, they hopped on. Kiptyn took the lead, followed by Ayden. Oliver brought up the rear so that at least one of them could keep an eye on Sissi's first time riding. They headed up the mountain toward the slopes. The wind and snow sliced at their faces, leaving red, stinging marks behind. It was early, and no one was outside, although it was unlikely that anyone would have been outside in the weather anyway. The sun was a little above the horizon and they would still have a ways to go before they could get close to the slopes and their friends. They couldn't cut a strait line up the mountain. They had to go at angles. This would make their journey a lot longer than it seemed it had to be. Sissi only struggled a few times during the entire trip. She was able to keep up majority of the time. By 1:30, they had finally reached the slopes.

"Be careful not to fall down any of the slopes without your mobile. Some of these slopes are too steep to climb back up," Kiptyn warned as they stopped at the top. "Now, where did you say they would be?"

"They're down a family slope," Sissi stated firmly. "They said that if we called for them, they'd be able to hear us if we were on the right slope."

Ayden groaned. "That means we have to try all of them until we find them. Why'd I even agree to come on this stupid adventure with you guys? They're not my friends. I should have just gone to the pool. It's freezing out here." He rubbed his arms and rolled his eyes.

"You practically took control. Now, whether you like it or not, you're helping us find them. Besides, if you're cold, picture how they feel," Kiptyn said and headed down a slope on his snow mobile. The others followed.

-m-

Odd was playing with Aelita's fingers. They had finished "eating" a while ago, and already both of their stomachs were growling. "Let's play a game," Odd muttered. His eyelids were drooping. Without food, it was hard for any of them to stay awake. Yumi and Ulrich were in the cave, and Jeremie wandered off shortly after they finished "eating", so they were alone outside.

"Come on, Aelita," Odd insisted. "Let's play a game. It'll get your mind off of stuff."

Aelita groaned slightly. "I was having a fine time letting you play with my fingers and thinking. Why do we have to play a game?"

"It doesn't have to be an active game. We don't have to run around."

"Yes, I know what active means," Aelita said harshly. She sighed again. "Sorry."

"It's fine," Odd said. "We're all starting to get tense."

"What kind of a game were you thinking of?" she asked and yawned.

"How about a question game?" he asked. "You know, one of those get to know you kind of games."

"But, we already know a lot about each other," Aelita complained. "What more could I ask?"

"Be creative," Odd insisted. "I'll go first to give you an idea. If you had another body part, what would you want?"

"What kind of question is that?" Aelita asked.

"A good one. It can be anything, even an animal part if you want." Odd waited for her to reply and continued to play with her fingers.

She thought for a while. "I guess I'd want gills so I could breathe underwater."

"That's cool. What would you do?" he asked.

"Not a chance. It's my turn." Odd frowned but let go and let her ask her question. "If you were allowed to take a trip anywhere, where would you go and who would you visit?"

"I'd go to Transylvania and visit Dracula! Bwahahahaha!" Odd laughed psychotically.

Aelita rolled her eyes. "That's a waste. You could've gone anywhere."

"Well, sorrrrry. Didn't mean to waste my trip." Odd yawned. He turned and fell onto his back.

"You're getting bored of this game already," Aelita muttered. She moved so that she could lie on her back next to him. She pressed herself next to him and intertwined her fingers with his. She couldn't feel the heat that she would normally feel when pressed against him. She turned and stared at the side of his face. Odd's eyes wandered the sky and didn't pay attention to the way Aelita was staring. She smiled slightly before turning to look up at the sky.

"It's going to snow again soon," Aelita stated firmly.

"How do you know?" Odd asked.

"The clouds. You see how they're moving that way." She motioned toward their left. "Over there is really dark." She pointed to the right. "By the way they're moving, it seems that we'll be seeing snow in another 20 or 30 minutes." She sighed.

Odd squeezed her hand and turned to look at her. She turned to look back at him. "It'll be ok, Aelita," he said with a small smile. "We've gotten through the first part. We can get through the next." She nodded although she was not reassured. Odd squeezed her hand again, and they lied there for a long while without saying anything. After ten minutes of constant silence, a gush of icy wind blew across them and pulled the snow up from the ground. Odd sat up and shivered, shaking the snow off of him. He looked down at Aelita who was still lying there with her eyes closed.

"Aelita, maybe we should go back in the cave. It's getting windier. I don't want us to get too cold." She didn't make a move to get up or shake the snow off of her. "Aelita, come on," Odd insisted. He squeezed her hand again. Instead of squeezing back, Aelita remained still. "Aelita," Odd said and moved to shake her gently. She didn't respond. That was when he legitimately got worried. He let go of her hand and shook her more forcefully. "Aelita! Come on!" The wind grew stronger, and he knew that the snow was about to fall. Aelita cringed.

"Let me sleep, Odd," Aelita muttered.

"No way, princess! Come on! Get up! You can't quit on me. We've come too far for you to just quit now. Remember what I told you? You can't sleep. We need to go inside now." He shook her again, and she grumbled. He shook his head and grabbed her hand. Then, he lifted her into a sitting position, and her eyes creaked open. She held a grimace on her face, but Odd smiled at her.

"Ugh," she groaned but moved to stand up. He helped her up, and together they both trudged over to the cave. "Thanks, Odd," she murmured. She gave him a quick peck on the cheek before sitting down on the hard cave floor.

Odd sat next to her and raised an eyebrow at her. "You didn't have to do that," he whispered. "I know how much you don't like PDAs. A thanks would have been just fine. You didn't have to kiss me in front of Yumi and Ulrich."

She smiled. "Thanks for understanding and not forcing me. I wanted to that time though," she whispered in reply.

He smiled. She smiled, blushed, and looked away from him and the others. Odd reached over and grabbed a few towels and placed them over himself and Aelita because the wind was beginning to howl and freeze his hands.

Ulrich and Yumi had already gotten their own towels. They didn't seem to be interested in what Odd and Aelita were doing, and let them be. Yumi and Ulrich were in their own little world on their side of the cave.

Odd looked outside and couldn't see through the snow that was now falling again. It was really coming down. He turned back toward Aelita and gave her a reassuring smile. He then reached into her lap and took hold of her hand. He began to pull her hand back into his lap, but she stopped him. He looked up into her face with a perplexed look. She smiled in reply and squeezed his hand. He still held the puzzled look. She slowly brought his hand to her leg and placed it right above her knee. Then she placed her hand on top of his and intertwined her fingers. Odd gave a little smirk of a smile and gave her another questioning look. He wasn't expecting Aelita to be so open with him, especially out in the cold and where others could see her, even though the towels were technically hiding everything. She slowly slid his hand along her leg up to the top of her thigh where she let it come to a rest. She gave him a small smile which seemed a bit seductive. Odd didn't really know what to do. He just sat there in awe with his hand resting on her thigh. She leaned over and rested her head on his shoulder.

"What are you doing?" Odd asked her in a hush. "You've never been this open. This is so unlike the Aelita I was with this past week. You don't have to do this because you feel you have to. You can wait until you're ready to take the next step."

She nodded at him with a small smile as she lifted her head from his shoulder. "I know. I just feel like it. Don't ask me why I'm having the sudden change in mood," she whispered back. "I just wish we were out of this cave."

"Me too, Aelita. Me too." Odd smiled and sighed. She placed her head back onto his shoulder and began to rub the back of his hand with her finger. A tingle ran all the way up Odd. He began to melt into her and relaxed. Before he knew it, he was rubbing her thigh gently. Aelita didn't seem to notice or mind because she remained silent. Odd smiled to himself. "I'm glad that at least I'm with you," he whispered under his breath.

Aelita sighed in pleasure and curled up closer to him. "I am too. I love you."

For some reason, that struck Odd as peculiar. He didn't know why. After a second it came to him. He lifted Aelita off his shoulder and gazed into her eyes with a smile on his face. "Oh, Aelita. That's the first time you've said that to me," he whispered. She nodded and smiled. "You know how much I love you." She nodded again. Then, she leaned forward and closed her eyes. Instinct brought her lips to his. They touched for a few seconds and then parted. Odd sighed passionately and smiled lovingly at her. "I'm so lucky to have you." She blushed and rested her head back on his shoulder. She closed her eyes and nuzzled her head into him. Odd looked across the cave at Yumi and Ulrich. They were smiling at him and giving him encouragement. He turned towards Aelita once more and whispered, "I'm the luckiest guy in the world."

**Well, I hope you enjoyed it.  
I'll try and update soon.  
No promises on how soon.  
Review for a Preview!**


	51. Upside Down

**HEY PEEPS DID YA MISS ME?  
Don't answer that.  
And please don't beat me up!  
I have had 17 million school projects not to mention the fact that I've had 2 seperate applications for school.  
AND we are in the middle of registering for next year's classes.  
Don't worry, I didn't stop writing.  
I've just been soooooooooo slow.  
I wanna punch my teachers for giving me so much work.  
Well, you better enjoy this chappy!  
I only finished because you've all been nagging at me so much!  
Enjoy.  
AND REVIEW! Or I think I'll cry. I did all this work and you won't even say if you liked it or not...**

**No Matter What They Say**

**Chapter 51: Upside Down**

"Well, they're not here," Kiptyn stated. He called one last time for them, but he received no reply.

"Well, I say we blow this joint," Ayden said. "I'm getting hungry, and I don't want to spend my day looking for these people. It's not my job."

Sissi looked nervously at Kiptyn. He nodded reassuringly at her. "Now come on, Ayden. These people are our friends."

"Ha. They aren't _my_ friends," he said smugly. Kiptyn glared at him. "What? They aren't. Besides, we've been down three family slopes already and have been calling their names for at least 20 minutes on each slope. Don't you think they'd have heard us by now? I mean, seriously. Come on, Kip. Give it up." Ayden shook his head at him.

"Come on Ayden, let's just look down a few more. There can't be too many more family slopes," Kiptyn insisted.

"There's at least five," Ayden said glumly. "Haven't you ever been skiing up here? There are five more! Five! We could be up here for another two hours. I don't want to be out here that long. Besides, we still have to ride back down. It's snowing too. Come on, Kip. Please see reason. It's a lost cause. Let's just let the hotel take care of it."

Sissi looked at Ayden with tears in her eyes. "These are my friends! We can't just abandon them!"

"You see here, chicky. I'm not their friend. Hell, I'm hardly your friend. The only reason I'm here is because of Kiptyn, and right about now he's not a good enough reason to stay here. Now maybe if you were my chick, I'd stay. But you aren't. Hell, you're hardly Kip's chick. I don't even know why I came here. I'm out!" He shook his head again and brushed passed Sissi. She quickly ran after him.

"Wait, Ayden!" she called. He didn't stop. She ran faster and eventually caught up with him. "Ayden please don't go." She grasped his hand. He looked at her with anger and tried to shake her off. "Please Ayden! We need your help too. I don't think we can do it without you! Please don't go."

Ayden looked down at her hand clutching at his own. "Why should I?" he hissed.

"Uh…," Sissi searched for a reason in her head. "Because it would be the nice thing to do?"

"Ha. I don't have to be nice. Try again, chica. I don't need to be here, and I'm leavin," he said again. He shook her hand away and threw his leg over his snow mobile.

"Wait!" she called and clutched his jacket. "What if I gave you something in return!"

He raised an eyebrow at her. "What kind of something?"

Sissi gulped. "Um, what did you, um, have in mind?" She looked nervously at him and let go of his jacket.

Ayden smirked. "My help is a hefty price. I don't think you'll be willing to pay." Sissi gulped again. "I think you'd back out. I don't know if I trust you. Besides, you're only a child anyway. Smokin' or not, you're still a child."

"What do you want? Sex? Is that it?"

"Bingo, chica. I don't mind sleepin around, and I bet you'll be a fine one." He smirked again. "You sure do look fine." Sissi fought to keep a straight face. "Oh, let me guess, you still haven't lost your v card, have you?" Sissi's face reddened. "Haha. That's a yes. Wow. You know, I don't even know why I'm still here. It's obvious that you won't do it." He turned to start the mobile.

"Isn't there anything else?" Sissi whispered. "Anything that would make you stay and help me?"

"Hey, girl, I gave you an option. I don't need to give you another." He turned the key and started the engine.

"Please, Ayden. Please stay and help me! Just one or two more slopes! Please," she begged. "We really need your help."

"Hey, I gave you a choice. It's not like I didn't. You choose not to have my help. That's not my problem," he pulled her hands off of his jacket.

"Come on, Ayden, have a heart. Seriously. Isn't there anything else?" she pleaded.

He looked at her. Her eyes were welling with tears. "Ugh, I hate to see chicks cry. It's stupid. Crying is stupid. Stop." She wiped her eyes quickly. "I don't want anything else from you. You're probably not very experienced at anything." He turned to leave, but before he could go, Sissi reached up and grabbed him around the neck. She leapt up into his lap and sat down. She forced her lips against him and began to kiss him passionately. Ayden was taken aback by the force. Sissi's heart was beating quickly. Ayden wrapped his arms around her waist. She continued to kiss him passionately for another minute. She unzipped his jacket and unbuttoned the top part of his shirt. She ran her finger down his chest. Then, she slowly pulled out of the kiss.

"Now isn't that good enough? Won't you please help me?" she pleaded again.

Ayden was stunned. "I'll tell you what. If you promise me a full night of that, I'll stay for another three slopes."

"Deal," Sissi said and bit her lip. Then she quickly climbed down from his lap. She looked away to where Kiptyn was staring at her. His eyes were filled with tears. She watched as his hands balled up into fists. His eyebrows came together and he shook his head before looking away. She turned back and watched as Ayden climbed up the slope on his mobile. Once he was gone, she moved toward Kiptyn. When she arrived, he was fixing a strap that had come loose from his mobile.

"Kiptyn, let me explain before you start yelling," Sissi started. Kiptyn ignored her and continued to fiddle with his mobile. "Well, Ayden was going to leave if I didn't stop him, and, well, there's no way I could've saved my friends without him. There's barely enough room for two people on these mobiles, let alone three. We need him to stay." She leaned toward him and placed a hand on his shoulder. He shrugged her off, but didn't turn. "Oh, Kiptyn, please don't do this. I don't like him. I promise that. I just needed him to help us save my friends, and, well, that was the only way." She reached out to touch his shoulder, but curled her fingers in and pulled her arm away. She shook her head. "I'm sorry."

He turned around in a huff. "You're sorry? You're sorry? How can you just say that and expect everything to be better?" he shouted. His eyes were full of tears threatening to fall. "I thought that age wasn't going to be an issue and that this was actually going to work! Why'd you kiss him? No, don't answer that. Did you want more than just me? Is that it? No, don't answer that either. God, Sissi. Why didn't you just ask for help? I could've persuaded him to stay."

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

"That's not good enough! You cut me, and now you can't just stick a Band-Aid on me and pretend it never happened." Kiptyn shook his head. The tears he had tried so hard to keep inside spilled over. He wiped them quickly away. "So, is that it?"

Sissi was puzzled. She held a questioning look on her face. "Is what it?"

"Is that it? Is this the end of us already!" he looked at Sissi in the eyes, trying to read her expression.

"No, Kiptyn. I really don't want anything to do with Ayden. It's true. The only thing is that I have to save my friends. They- well, they…," Sissi trailed off and her eyes welled up with tears.

"Well what? They're what?" Kiptyn looked harshly at her. She turned her face away and tried to hold her tears inside. "Well what are they!" he demanded.

Sissi turned sharply back to him, tears running down her face. "They're the only friends I have!" she screamed. "You happy? I don't have friends! These people are the closest I've come to friends in my entire life! Ever since I was little, no one wanted to be my friend. No one! No one wants to be friends with the principal's daughter! Kiptyn, you just don't have any idea. I've never had friends. These people out here are as close as I've had in a long time. They are just finally starting to accept me, and I do NOT want to loose them!" Kiptyn's eyes grew wide. He stared in disbelief. _How could anyone grow up alone like that? How could anyone as pretty as my Sissi grow up without friends? Oh,_ he thought to himself as he caught what he was thinking. _My Sissi. _He sighed and gave a slight smile. _I could never blame her for that. _"Don't you see that I want nothing to do with Ayden! This whole mission was to save them, not get Ayden." Her eyes twinkled with tears. Kiptyn sighed as he realized that he had to believe her. He walked up and brushed the tears away from her eyes gently.

"I believe you," he said with a sigh. "Just please don't ever do that to me again."

Sissi bit her lip. She sighed once as she realized she had better tell him now. "Well, there's one more thing. I have to give Ayden one more thing." Kiptyn's eyes widened as he thought of the worst. "It's not what you're thinking. It's just, I-I have to well… kiss him again."

"What? Just kiss him?" Kiptyn was surprised at how little Ayden asked for. He knew that Ayden was not one to compromise lightly.

"Well…maybe kiss wasn't the right word exactly. I have to well, um, make…out…with him." Kiptyn's eyes flew open again. "But, please, please, please don't be upset! I'm only doing it for my friends, and once I repay him, I promise that I won't ever make out with him again! I promise. It's nothing! It really is. Once it's over, I'll never be with him again if that's what you want because I don't like him. I like you."

Kiptyn's eyebrows came together and his forehead wrinkled as he tried to remain calm. "Sissi, I don't know if I like this. I-I don't think this is a good way to start a relationship."

"Please, Kiptyn. Please don't let me go already. I really want nothing to do with Ayden. Please, give me a chance still. I was just desperate for help for my friends," Sissi insisted. Kiptyn walked toward her, slowly closing the gap between them. Sissi stood her ground. _Well at least he isn't leaving. _"I promise you that I was just looking out for my friends." Kiptyn continued to close the space between them.

He took a deep breath. "You just have to pay him back right? There's nothing going on?"

"Yeah. There's absolutely nothing going on between us," Sissi stated. Kiptyn raised his hand and held it slightly above his shoulder. Sissi looked with wide eyes at his hand. _Is he going to hit me?_ She stood firm and tried to prepare herself for whatever he was going to do. She took a breath as his hand swung down. She closed her eyes and braced herself for a slap across the face, but felt a force grasp her neck. Suddenly, she was pulled forward. Before she knew what was happening, she felt a pressure against her lips. Instantly, sparks flew from her own lips. She was overwhelmed by the suddenty and couldn't do anything but respond. She pulled herself toward him and moved her lips in a rhythm with his. After what seemed like only seconds, Kiptyn pulled back. His jacket was partially unzipped. Her hand was resting on his chest. Kiptyn's hands rested on her neck and waist. He removed his hands and took another step back.

"Well, I can tell why he would want that," Kiptyn said. "I guess I won't say anything. I don't approve, but I won't stop you because that's the only way you'll get your friends back." He sighed. "I don't know why you weren't like that the first time we kissed. Wow."

Sissi blushed. "We better get going. Ayden said he's only going to look for a little while longer." She quickly headed to her mobile and they headed off.

After another 40 minutes of searching, they finally got a response to their calls. They were down the third and final slope that Ayden said he would check.

"Hello?" someone called from somewhere in the woods.

"Aelita!" Sissi called again. "Where are you?" She looked around frantically to see if she could see where the voice was coming from.

"We're over here!" Aelita called back. "Just stay there! I'll come to you!"

"Aelita! Aelita, are you ok?" she shouted in the direction of Aelita's voice. Sissi headed toward the edge of the forest and looked to see if she could see Aelita. After five solid minutes, Aelita came stumbling into view. Odd was attached to her waist. Sissi's eyes lit up and she ran toward them. They met, and Sissi embraced them.

"Oh, I'm so glad you found us!" Aelita shouted over the howl of the wind.

"You must be freezing! Where are the others?" Sissi asked. "Are they alright?"

Aelita nodded. "We're all doing ok! I'll take you to where we've been staying! Follow me!" The wind was blowing hard as Aelita and Odd slowly took Sissi to the cave where the others were. It continued to snow heavily as well. By the time they reached their hideaway, their hair was all covered in snow. Yumi's eyes lit up as she noticed Aelita and Odd return with Sissi. She uncovered herself and hurried over to the entrance.

"I'm so glad you came!" she greeted. Ulrich and Jeremie grabbed some towels off the floor and stood up. Yumi looked back at them and then back to Sissi. Then she asked the question that was on all of their minds, "So, how are we getting out of here?"

They all looked at Sissi. "Well, I have these friends back out at the bottom of the slope! They've got some snow mobiles, and we'll be able to take you back that way!" Sissi looked to each of them. They all looked relieved. None of them looked like their normal self. Jeremie was angrier than normal, Aelita seemed weaker, Odd was much quieter, Yumi looked paler, and Ulrich, who was normally shy, had his hand clasped in Yumi's. "Well, are you guys ready to get out of here?" They all nodded. "Then, let's get you back to where you should be."

They all headed back to the open area where Ayden, Kiptyn, and Oliver were waiting with their mobiles. Kiptyn handed each of them a sandwich as they came out of the forest. Then he took the wet towels from Ulrich and Jeremie and placed them on the back of his mobile. Odd scarfed down his sandwich in no time, smiling at the comfort of food in his stomach. Aelita smiled at him as she continued to eat her sandwich. He wrapped his arm back around her waist now that his hands were free again. Oliver brought out the first aid kit and offered it to Aelita. She smiled and thanked him for the offer, but stated that it wasn't needed. He returned it to his mobile and waited for everyone to finish their sandwiches.

After only ten minutes, everyone had finished a sandwich and a bagel. Kiptyn passed out some blankets to the group and began to discuss the situation. "Ok, so I know that you've been out here for a long time, and you're probably freezing and really tired. We've got 4 snowmobiles, and each of them fit 2 people comfortably. Now, I know we have 9 people, but we're just going to have to squeeze. I don't care who rides with who, so you can discuss that with yourselves. It'll probably take around 2 hours to get back through all of this snow, so I wouldn't procrastinate in deciding. I'm sorry that we couldn't get anything better than mobiles. They'll probably make you really cold because it'll feel extra windy. When you decide, just come tell me." Kiptyn walked away from the group to let them discuss. He headed over to his mobile and took a seat. Sissi sat next to him.

"Thanks for coming," she muttered. "I know you probably didn't want to come."

"It's not a problem. If they're your friends, they're mine too." Sissi smiled at him. "And besides, I'd feel bad if I had just left them out here to freeze to death. I don't think I could do that to anyone, let alone people I know."

"Well, thanks though. It was sweet," Sissi replied with a smile. She then leaned over and kissed Kiptyn on the cheek. He smiled and took her hand into his.

Within five minutes, Aelita came up to Kiptyn. "We know who's riding with whom. We're ready to go."

"Alright. Well, we'll get on, and you can just hop on behind us." She nodded. Yumi climbed on behind Sissi, Ulrich climbed on behind Ayden, Jeremie rode behind Oliver, and Aelita climbed behind Kiptyn with Odd still attached to her waist.

They all turned the keys and revved the motors. As they headed up the slope, Aelita looked back toward the edge of the trees where they had spent the last couple of hours. She sighed, full of mixed feelings about leaving. She was glad to be getting out of the cold wind and the snow and back into a heated room, but she knew that some things would never be the same again. Her relation with Jeremie would never be the same. Her relation with Odd would only get more complex. The people at school would only start to ask questions, and a lot would need to be hidden or revealed permanently. She was afraid of the changes that she knew would be inevitable. Once she arrived back to the hotel, life would change for her. In some ways, it had already changed. She knew that she loved Odd. She knew that Odd was the one for her. This made her excited to be going back, but also nervous. When she had been with Jeremie, no one had questioned anything. They were both the smartest people in the grade. They were supposed to be together. No one questioned anything. With Odd, questions would arise. They were supposed to be cousins, and although it wasn't unheard of, it wasn't common either. Also, with Jeremie she had always set up the dates. She would plan the outing and hope that he would show up on time, if at all. If Jeremie was left to decide, they would stay and work on a program for Lyoko. She had always had to take the initiative. Also, with Jeremie, there hadn't been much physical contact. He would hold her hand or give her a hug goodnight, but nothing more. She had been the one to kiss him the one or two times they had ever kissed, if they could even be counted as real kisses. With Odd, all of this would change. Odd was known for being spontaneous. He would jump up and go ice skating or on a picnic without much more than ten minutes notice. He would dance without music, buy presents without reason, and laugh when nothing was funny. Odd doesn't wait for others to make plans, and Aelita wouldn't have to create as many. She'd have to learn to go along with the ride. Odd also has had a lot of experience with girls and would know a lot of moves. He'd be open to physical contact. Aelita knew he wouldn't pressure her to do anything, but she knew that she'd have to learn moves in order to keep up with him. Everything would flip upside down as she transitioned from Jeremie to Odd. Jeremie had been calm and collected, always academic, and rarely spontaneous. Odd, on the other hand, would be spontaneous and fun loving, rarely calm and always ready for something new. He'd always been there for her, not only the year she'd been out of the computer, but in Lyoko as well. He'd never left her. When Jeremie had forgotten about dates, he'd jumped in and they had a wonderful time. When she was feeling sick, he'd bring her soup and put in a scary movie for them to watch together, and although Aelita hated them, she knew that he'd been trying to cheer her up, and loved the fact that he'd been thinking of her. Never had she realized that they would turn into anything more than just friends. Through all the days of laughing with him, crying to him, smiling with him, studying with him, and fighting Xana with him, she had never realized that she was falling for him.

Aelita turned her attention back to the front. They were starting their decent down the mountain. The snow stung her face as they passed through it, facing into the wind. Odd's arms tightened around her waist as if reassuring her that he was still present behind her. She smiled although she knew he couldn't see. She closed her eyes and tried to relax. It would be about 2 hours before they arrived back to the resort, and she was tired. She knew that she'd never be able to fall asleep on a snow mobile, especially with the wind whipping snow into her face. She closed her eyes anyway and tried to think about anything but the sting of the snow against her. Every once and a while, Odd would tighten his grip around her waist. It felt good to still be so close to him. She knew that over the next few days or weeks or months, they would be inseparable. She didn't care what others would say. She finally realized this. She actually didn't care. She just wanted to be with Odd. She finally realized that all she wanted to do was be happy. Jeremie had brought stress into her life, and now all she wanted to do was have some fun. She would have Odd, and they would be happy. Yumi and Ulrich would be there too, and they'd all be friends forever. She finally realized that everything was going to work out. She smiled to herself. Everything was going to be good because for once in her life she wasn't pleasing anyone but herself.

**Thanks for reading!  
I hope you liked it!  
REVIEW!  
And don't kill me if I'm slow at getting the next chappy written.  
Don't worry there will be another.**


	52. Worries

**Well, I'm glad to be on spring break!  
I've had some time to work on my fanfic so thats good!  
I would have finished more, but we just got a Mac and I'm still trying to figure out how to work this new Microsoft Word.  
Bare with me.  
I will update.  
Until then, enjoy!  
Review for a preview! **

**No Matter What They Say**

**Chapter 52: Worries**

"Tamiya, wake up," Milly said and shook her shoulder. "Tamiya! Ulrich never called back! I'm getting worried. I've left him 5 messages already, and he still hasn't replied."

Tamiya groaned and opened her eyes. She squinted up at Milly who was standing right in front of a lamp, blinding her eyes because they weren't adjusted yet. She glanced down at the clock as she shielded her eyes. "Milly, it's 7:30 in the morning!" Tamiya groaned.

"Tamiya, I can't help it. I couldn't sleep well. I'm so worried about Ulrich and the others. If you look outside, you'll see that there's at least another 2 feet of snow on the ground since last night. I'm starting to worry that they're still out in that blizzard. Tamiya, what if they are? They could be freezing!"

"Shh, calm down. I'm sure they're fine. Take a deep breath." Tamiya sat up reluctantly and rubbed her eyes. She then scooted over a little so that there was enough room for Milly to sit on the bed. "Now are you sure that Ulrich hasn't tried to call? Do you have any missed calls?"

"No! None! I barely slept a wink all night. I just kept thinking of Ulrich and the others out there in the snow. What if they are freezing? They don't have much food either! Oh, Tamiya, what do we do?" Milly bent over and put her head in her hands.

Tamiya placed a hand on her shoulder. "It'll be ok. Don't you worry. Maybe they just haven't had their phones on since they returned. It could be anything. Let's not get ahead of ourselves. When was the last time you called Ulrich?"

Milly thought to herself. "It was around 6, I think. His phone went straight into voicemail. I left him another message."

"Ok, well he could just have his phone off because he's sleeping. Calm down. It'll be ok. I know what we'll do. Go take a shower and get dressed. Then, I'll take a shower and get dressed. Once we're both ready, I'll take you to breakfast. Then, after breakfast, we'll call Ulrich again. Then after we do all that, if he doesn't pick up, we'll go find some help. Sound good?"

Milly nodded and wrapped her arms around Tamiya in an embrace. "Thanks bunches, Tamiya. I knew that I'd always be able to count on you." She pulled out and smiled at her.

"What can I say? I'm awesome," Tamiya said with a smile and brushed off her shoulders. Milly rolled her eyes and got up to head to a shower. Tamiya watched her leave and as soon as Milly was inside the bathroom she closed her eyes and curled back up in her bed. She yawned and tried for a few extra minutes of sleep.

As if on a cue, when Milly's shower water shut off, Tamiya woke from her sleep. She sat up slowly and stretched out her arms and yawned. Looking around the room, she could see their clothes hanging on the chairs and off the dresser. Scattered on the floor were magazines and shoes and more clothes. Tamiya sighed as she thought about getting out of bed and finding something to wear. She slowly slid herself out of bed and stumbled over to the dresser where she grabbed one of the first things she found that went together. It didn't matter if it was Milly's or not. The two had gotten into a habit of sharing each others things. Although Tamiya was a slight bit taller, the two could fit in each others clothes almost perfectly. Tamiya yawned again as she headed back toward the night stand where she had placed her cosmetics bag. She rummaged through and found her eyeliner, deodorant, and hair bands. Milly appeared out of the bathroom dressed in her clothes, with her hair wrapped up in a towel.

"It's free for you if you're ready." Milly motioned toward the bathroom with a smile and a wink. Tamiya shook her head in disbelief. It always surprised her how Milly could be so distraught at times and yet so cheery at others. In one moment she would be nearly in tears and then she'd turn around and be completely fine. Her eyes would be aglow and her smile would radiate like no other she'd ever seen. Tamiya chuckled. "What are you laughing at?" Milly asked and raised an eyebrow.

Tamiya shook her head. "Oh, it's nothing." Milly tilted her head but didn't press any farther. "Really. I was just thinking."

"Whatever you say, Tamiya!" Milly smiled and spun away into the room. Tamiya watched her spin away with glee and then headed into the bathroom for her own shower.

-m-

The window was frosted. The ice created crystal formations on the frozen glass. Outside, the snow piled high like a blanket covering the entire area with white powdery fluff. Flakes continued to swirl down from above, providing more and more layers to the blanket below. Herve sat watching the snow from the seat next to the window. Nicholas still lay asleep on the bed with his mouth agape. Herve had been sitting there since two am. He'd struggled with sleep all night and had given up fighting. Earlier in the morning, he watched as Sissi left on a snowmobile with three other guys. He hadn't recognized them, but he figured that one of them had to have been the lifeguard she had eaten with the night before. At first, he had wanted to jump up and rush out into the snow after her, but after a few minutes he realized how futile that plan would have been. Sissi was speeding away into a blizzard and by the time he had even gotten dressed and down to the lobby, she would have been miles away. Besides, he didn't have any way to follow her. He had instead decided to watch for her out the window. He watched her as far as he could, and then told himself that he would go out later that day to the spot where he last saw her and wait for her to come back safely. He knew that he's idea was probably insane, but he didn't care. As much as it hurt him to think about, he knew that Sissi would never like him, but that didn't make him want her any less, and like it or not, he couldn't just watch her disappear into a blizzard without making sure she came back. For all he knew, he could be the only person who knew she was gone. He loved her, and whether or not she loved him back, he wanted to make sure she was safe.

Herve looked over to the clock for a second. 8:24, it read. He sighed and turned back toward the window. He looked out and strained to see out passed the place where Sissi had disappeared. He knew it was practically useless, but he hoped that by some miracle if he looked long and hard enough, she would appear. He sighed again and looked away. Nicholas remained asleep on his bed. Herve got up from where he sat and rummaged through his clothes. He picked out a shirt and some jeans quickly and changed. Then, he headed to the bathroom and brushed his teeth and washed his face. Herve sighed as he looked in the mirror. _Why did you ever set your sights so high? She's always been out of your league. Didn't you ever realize that you would never be with a girl like her? Did it ever once cross your mind that she was only hanging out with you because she pitied you? She never actually liked you! It doesn't work that way. All of the beautiful girls end up with someone muscular and handsome. You're the president of the robot club and the captain of the chess team. Why would you think you had a chance? _He sighed again and headed out of the bathroom. He glanced from the clock to the window to Nicholas and back again. He contemplated going back to the window and watching for her, but after a couple seconds he realized that she probably wouldn't be back for a little while longer and that he could still watch from other areas of the building. He quickly scribbled a note to Nicholas and headed out the door to get himself some breakfast.

-m-

He reached a small café where there was a good amount of windows on the same side of the building that he saw Sissi disappear. He seated himself near the window and waited. A short, dirty-blonde, young waitress greeted him after a couple minutes and handed him a menu. She had a cute half-smile on her face, and her hair was up in a short messy pony-tail. "Can I get you something to drink?" she asked perkily. "We have coke, tea, milk, juice, coffee, water, well of course we have water, but you get my point…" She giggled and tapped her writing pad nervously. "Sooo…, can I get you anything?"

Herve looked up at her, "I'll just take water thanks."

"Do you want lemon?" she asked. Herve shook his head. She nodded and started to walk away. Suddenly, she stopped in her tracks and walked back scratching her head and laughing, obviously embarrassed. "Oh, silly me, I forgot to introduce myself! I'm Ashley, by the way. I'll be your server. So, if there's anything I can do for you, just holler. Well, don't actually holler." She shook her head. "You get my point. Uh, I'll be right back with that water. You just look over that menu. Heh heh." She turned back around and shuffled awkwardly back toward the kitchen. Herve watched her walk away. He rolled his eyes. Over in the corner of the restaurant, a man who was obviously the manager was watching Ashley intently. _Must be one of her first days, _Herve thought to himself. He turned his focus toward the menu and scanned for possible breakfast options.

Ashley returned in no time carrying his water. She smiled as she set it down on the table and placed a straw next to it. "So, have you had enough time to decide?" Herve looked up from his menu and raised an eyebrow at her. "Oh, It's fine if you haven't…. Uh, I can just come back later…." She looked around nervously and shuffled away again. Herve looked around and noticed that he was one of the only people in the café, and the only one being served by Ashley. She stood idle over to the side of the café, waiting for him to be ready. She wiggled her feet around below her as if she didn't know what to do. She also kept taking her pen, sticking it in her pony-tail, and then removing it, obviously fighting boredom.

He turned his focus back to his menu, and after another 5 minutes of deliberating, he decided what he wanted. As if she had been watching him, which was likely, Ashley appeared next to him almost immediately after he placed his menu down on the table. "Ok! So have you decided?" she asked perkily.

"Yeah, I think I'll just have the pancakes and eggs with biscuits. I'd like some jelly too."

"And how would you like your eggs?" she asked as she scrawled his order onto her pad.

"Scrambled is good, thanks."

"No problem! I'll have this up right away!" she stated with a cheery smile. Then, she turned back toward the kitchen, leaving Herve to himself and his thoughts. He turned and began to look out the window, staring off into the distance, although he knew it was futile to even look for Sissi. He stared off into the distance regardless. It was still snowing. He sighed as he thought of Sissi alone out there. He sighed again when he realized that she wasn't alone. This didn't give him any comfort. He was just now beginning to realize that his attempts to get with Sissi were pointless. There were always going to be others who were better than him that would get in his way.

-m-

Tamiya came out of the bathroom and nearly crashed into Milly who was waiting directly outside of the door. "Gahh, Milly! What are you doing standing there like that? You nearly gave me a heart attack! What's wrong?"

"Oh, nothing! Sorry 'bout that. I just havta use the restroom," she said as she snuck around Tamiya and shut the door behind her. Tamiya giggled. Milly could be so funny when she wanted, and sometimes she was funny when she didn't even try to be.

Tamiya walked over to the mirror on the closet and fixed her hair. By the time she finished, Milly returned from the restroom.

"Sorry 'bout that," Milly said and scratched the back of her head in embarrassment. "I didn't realize that I had to pee so bad until I heard your water running. Heh heh. I really didn't mean to scare you."

Tamiya laughed. "It's no problem. I figured as much. Well I'm all ready to go now if you are."

"You sure do look great, Tamiya!" Milly stated with a smile. Tamiya blushed and smiled back. "Anyways, I'm ready to go. Just let me grab my purse and we can head out." Tamiya nodded and headed toward the door. Milly snatched her purse and closed the door behind them. "Now where to? How about a buffet?"

"That's good for me if that's where you want to go," Tamiya answered and they headed off toward the elevators. Milly smiled again and pushed the down button, calling the elevators. In a short while, they reached the lobby and then made it to the buffet. They were seated near the center of the restaurant next to an elderly couple. Milly and Tamiya smiled at the couple as they sat down. Both of them ordered orange juice and waited for the waitress to return with their beverages before they went up to the buffet. It didn't take long for the waitress to return, and they both headed to the buffet to get their first plate.

"Tamiya," Milly said sitting back down with her first plate of food. "I'm so worried about them. I can't stop thinking about it. What if they really are still out there!"

Tamiya sighed. She looked across the table to her frantic friend. Milly was pulling on one of her pigtails. Tamiya smiled sympathetically at her. "Don't worry to much, Milly. I promise that they'll be fine. It will be fine. Just calm down and eat your pancakes before they get cold. After breakfast, we'll call Ulrich again. It really will be fine." Tamiya reached across the table and patted Milly's hand. Milly looked down at her hand and tried to smile. Tamiya patted her hand again. "Don't worry."

Milly looked up at Tamiya. She couldn't help but smile. "Thanks. You're probably right. I'm just overreacting. Let's just eat. Good idea." Milly went to reach for her fork and pulled he hand away from Tamiya's. Tamiya smiled and grabbed her own fork. They both continued to eat. After two plates of food, Milly could hardly stand it anymore and pulled out her phone. She looked at Tamiya who just nodded. Tamiya knew that Milly wouldn't stop until she called Ulrich again. She sighed and waited to see what would happen.

It rang once before going straight into a voicemail like last time. "Hey, Ulrich. It's Milly. I'm starting to worry about you guys. Did you get home safely? Uh, I know this is like my 6th message…. Anyway, call me when you get a chance. I just wanna make sure you're ok. Uh, bye." Milly hung up and sighed. "Tamiya! He still didn't answer! What are we going to do!" Her eyes started to well up with tears.

Tamiya called the waitress over and signed for their breakfast. "Come on, Milly let's go. I'll call Hiroki to see if he's heard from Yumi in a while." She bent down and grabbed Milly's hand. "Don't worry. We'll find them." Tamiya smiled and Milly nodded. Milly looked from Tamiya to her own hand and back. Tamiya let go of her hand and pulled out her phone. Then she dialed Hiroki's number.

-m-

Johnny lay on his bed, tossing and turning. He cracked open his eyes. Hiroki's phone was ringing. He groaned and turned over toward where Hiroki's bed was. Only a pile of sheets was where Hiroki would have been. He opened his eyes fully and yawned as he reached over and grabbed Hiroki's phone and answered. "Hello?" he said through a yawn.

"Uh, Hiroki?"

"No, sorry. It's Johnny. I don't know where he's run off to. I guess I'll take a message if it's important."

"Um, no. I can talk to you just as well. It's Tamiya. I was just wondering if you'd heard from Yumi or Ulrich or one of the others."

"No, I haven't." Johnny yawned again. "I asked Hiroki about that last night, but he didn't seem to worried. We called her and it went straight into voicemail. He just said that her phone must be off. Why? Did you get in touch with them?"

"No, that's why we called. Milly's been trying to reach Ulrich for a while now, but she hasn't gotten a response. We're starting to get worried. Do you have anyone's phone number?" Tamiya asked. "All we have is Ulrich's, and he hasn't responded."

"I've just got Yumi's and she hasn't responded either. I'm sorry I couldn't be any help. I've started to get worried too. It seems that I'm not the only one that has been looking for them."

"Yeah. We just wanted to make sure that they weren't out there in the blizzard," Tamiya said in a worried tone.

"I've been thinking the same thing. You know what, give me a couple minutes to get dressed, and I'll meet you somewhere. Or do you wanna…?" Johnny stopped himself before he asked them to come up to his room. He had no idea where Hiroki was, but he sure didn't want to run into him. Especially if Milly was going to be around. He'd had enough of him yesterday and he didn't really want an encore. "No never mind. Where do you want me to meet you?"

"Um, do you wanna just meet in the lobby? It's easy enough. We're already on the first floor. We've just finished breakfast."

"Alrighty, I'll be down in around 15 minutes," he stated and hung up.

_Well, It's not just me, _Johnny thought to himself. _Something really is up, and I wasn't just imagining it. I just hope that they're all ok._

-m-

"Here's your breakfast, sir," Ashley said perkily as she handed place the plate I front of Herve. "Does everything look alright?" she asked. Then she took a step back and bit her lip, as if she was actually waiting for approval. Herve looked up at her and nodded. She had even brought the jelly like he had asked her too. Often times, waitresses forgot the small things like that. Ashley smiled at him and nodded. "Ok, call me if you need anything else." He watched her walk away. She went and stood where she had before, and began to fight her boredom in the same way as before. He looked out the window and began to eat. Snow was still falling, and Sissi still wasn't coming back over the horizon. He sighed and looked back over to the waitress. Ashley kept gazing around the room. He followed her eyes. There were a few full tables in another section of the restaurant. A young man was tending to a few. An older woman had a couple of tables as well. He was Ashley's only table. Another family walked in and he watched as they got seated in the other section. Soon the elderly woman walked up to them to take their drink orders. Herve looked back to Ashley who sighed and continued to play with the pen in her hair. She caught his eye and he motioned for her to come over.

"Is there anything you need?" she asked as set made it to the table.

"It's your first day isn't it?" Herve asked her.

Her eyes widened. "Is it that obvious? I'm really sorry. Where did I go wrong?" She began pouring out apologies before Herve could say anything.

He cut her off. "Hold it. You didn't do anything wrong. I just noticed that I'm your only customer. There are plenty of families, but all of them have been seated in the other section. I just assumed that they'd spread everyone out. Unless you needed practice. Because you are new. I guess I was right about it being your first day."

"Yeah, I guess you're just smart."

"I guess, so are you nervous? Is this your first job?"

She sighed. "It's my first real job, with a real paycheck. I've babysat practically my whole life, but that doesn't count as an actual job. Anyway, I guess you could say I'm a little nervous."

"Well, you're doing fine. How old are you anyway?" he asked. "Take a seat. It's not like you have anyone else that you have to wait on."

"I really shouldn't take a seat. It's no professional, and I probably shouldn't tell you my age either. Who are you to ask me these questions anyway?" she asked defensively.

"Sorry, I was just trying to be sociable. You don't have to if you don't want to." Herve sighed and turned back toward the window.

"Oh," Ashley felt her heart pang. "Is there something wrong? I didn't mean to come off so viciously."

"It's nothing that you could fix," Herve said with a sigh. "Sorry I troubled you. I would like a refill though when you get a chance." Ashley nodded and left, returning quickly with a pitcher of water.

She paused after filling his glass. "Can I take a seat?"

"Sure," Herve replied. "Offer's still open."

She sat down and smiled. "I'm Ashley Llary by the way. I didn't mean to be so foul. I'm fourteen. And you are?"

"Oh, I'm Herve Pichon. I'm fourteen as well. It's fine, you weren't being rude at all actually. Say, how'd you get the job if you're fourteen?"

"My mom owns the place. That's why she's been giving me all of the 'easy' customers. I also only get small short shifts. You know, I get off in about an hour. I'm sure that you'd enjoy someone to talk to. How about you meet me at that coffee shop right off the lobby in about an hour and a half? We could talk. Maybe I could help you with whatever's wrong. Who knows." She stood back up and cleared off a dish that he was finished with.

"I'm sure you don't want to spend your day with me at a coffee shop. I'm sure you've got better things to do around here."

"Actually, most of my friends are on vacation, and I don't like to swim alone. So what do you say? Will you meet me there?" She asked as she smiled at him and bit her lip slightly, possibly fearing rejection.

Herve contemplated it for a couple seconds. "Sure. Sounds fun."

Ashley smiled. "I know it will be! I'll leave you to your food. Just holler if you need anything else."

**Well, I hope you liked it!  
Remember to review for a preview of the next chapter!  
I'll try and update soon! **


	53. For The Love Of

**So, I figured you'd rather have a new chappy than a long one.  
Sorry bout the shortness, but I intended it to be short.  
Enjoy!  
Review for a Preview.  
Too bad tons of people haven't wanted one...  
Oh well, enjoy. **

**No Matter What They Say**

**Chapter 53: For The Love Of**

Jared checked his phone again. Aelita hadn't answered his text messages. He had sent her one the night before to see if she got back all right. He sent her another one that morning because she hadn't answered the first one. He frowned as he still didn't have any messages. He stood up and went into the bathroom. After showering, fixing himself up, and getting dressed, he headed back out into the room. He grabbed his wallet from off of the desk and stuffed it into his pocket. Then he picked up his phone and key as he headed out the door. He walked swiftly to the elevator and pushed the down button. While he was waiting, he looked at his phone. He pulled up Aelita's contact and contemplated pressing the send button. He shook away the idea, thinking of it as being too over-obsessive, although he was starting to get a little worried. He pressed the end key, just as the elevator dinged and the doors opened. He stepped in and headed down to the lobby. He walked quickly to a café and got seated almost immediately in a nearly empty section.

-m-

Aelita leaned forward and whispered into Kiptyn's ear. He didn't hear her so she spoke a little louder. After the fourth time, he heard her ask, "Can we stop for a second?" He happened to be second in the group of four mobiles. He sped up just enough to catch the eye of Ayden who was in the front. He motioned that he was going to stop, and Ayden nodded. Soon all four snowmobiles slowed to a halt. Aelita hopped off of her mobile, took five staggering steps, and fell to the ground on all fours.

"Aelita!" Odd shouted as he jumped off of his and ran over to her. "Are you alright?" he asked as he leaned down and braced her shoulder.

Aelita grasped her head. "I'm just a little lightheaded, that's all. I'm sure it's nothing." She stood up and brushed Odd off, giving him a reassuring smile. He reluctantly let go of her, and she immediately fell back down as soon as she tried to take a step. She groaned and reached for her head again.

"That's not just nothing!" Odd bent down and supported her again. He then turned around and called Kiptyn over. "She just collapsed, and I don't know what to do. Help me!"

Kiptyn looked from Odd's torn face, to Aelita. "I don't know what's going on with her. What even happened?" Odd explained how she just collapsed without warning. Suddenly the rest noticed that something was happening over with Aelita, Odd, and Kiptyn. Sissi and Jeremie walked over to see what was wrong. "I don't know what to tell you. Didn't she eat with the rest of you?"

Jeremie bent over and lifted Aelita's chin. "What are you doing?" Odd accused him.

"Shush," Jeremie quickly retorted and continued to lift Aelita's chin. "Tell me what you feel. Why'd you ask us to stop?"

Aelita groaned slightly. "My head started getting light and my vision started blurring. I assumed I needed to get up and walk around for a second. Then, my legs just gave out. Right now my head is spinning. I think I need to sit down."

"Open your eyes," Jeremie commanded, and she did. "You look fine. How much did you eat?"

"Enough."

Jeremie groaned. "Aelita. Answer the question. How much did you eat?"

Aelita sighed as she knew that there was no point I lying. "I had a half of a sandwich."

Sissi and Kiptyn's eyes widened along with Odd's. "Why? What did you do with the other half and the bagel?"

Aelita sighed again. "I gave it to Odd," she murmured.

"You told me that they had extra!" Odd accused. "Why would you give away your only food!"

Aelita looked up at him with a quizzical look. "You always eat more than me. I knew you'd been complaining about the lack of food for a long while. Why wouldn't I share my own with you? I knew I'd get some when I got down the mountain."

Odd looked at her and shook his head. "You shouldn't have done that Aelita. Why do you always feel like you need to sacrifice yourself for the needs of others?"

"I don't know," she murmured and looked away from him. "I guess I thought I was helping you out."

"Aelita!" Jeremie shouted. "Why didn't you stop the mobiles sooner! You know that lightheadedness is a sign that you haven't had enough to eat! Why would you put yourself in danger!"

Aelita bit her lip and stared off into the distance. After a couple seconds of composing herself, she took a deep breath. "Sorry. We can go now." She continued to look away from the condemning faces, but stood up. She shrugged Odd's hand off of her shoulder and headed back toward the mobile. Despite falling before, this time she did not falter. Aelita sat down on the mobile and waited for the others.

Jeremie sighed. "Do you have extra?" he asked Kiptyn. Kiptyn sadly just shook his head. "Of course. Let's just go. The sooner we get down the mountain, the sooner we can get out of this mess and Aelita can get herself some food."

Jeremie turned and strutted back to his mobile. "Don't pay any attention to him," Odd stated to Kiptyn as soon as Jeremie was out of earshot. "We're all just tense, and he's not used to not being in control. Don't beat yourself up. I'm sure she'll be fine. She's got to be." Odd gave a weak smile. Sissi gave his hand a quick squeeze. Kiptyn nodded and they all headed back to their mobiles.

They each sat back down. Aelita wrapped her arms around Kiptyn's waist, and Odd wrapped his arms around her. Before they took off, Odd leaned forward to whisper into Aelita's ear. She was slightly crying, although she continued to wipe the tears away as soon as they formed. "Don't feel bad about it Aelita. I'm sure there would've been others that would've done the same thing in your situation. I appreciate what you did."

She wiped another set of tears away. "Thanks," she muttered. Then she closed her eyes just about the same time that they began to start descending the mountain again.

-m-

Johnny found Milly and Tamiya waiting in the lobby for him. "Hey guys, what did you have planned?"

"Well, I wasn't sure what we should do. We thought that you might have a plan," Tamiya stated. "I guess we could go around and look for them, but that could mean searching for quite a while, and even then we might not be able to find them."

"I also wouldn't wanna go outside to look. It's really storming out there," Milly said. "This is the worst storm I've ever seen! Oh I hope they're not out there." Milly turned and looked out the windows. There was a good two and a half feet of snow, and snow was continuing to fall. "I don't know what we'd even do if they were. Oh, Tamiya! Please say they aren't stuck out there!" Milly started to tear up and turned toward Tamiya. She wrapped her arms around her and began to weep softly into her shoulder. "I don't think I could stand it!"

Tamiya patted her back gently. "It'll be ok, Milly. I promise. Everything will be ok." Johnny watched awkwardly as Tamiya began to comfort Milly. "You see what has been going on?" Tamiya whispered to Johnny. "This happened once earlier."

"So, what did you want to do?" Johnny asked again. "Do you want to ask Sissi or William if they've seen anyone? Wait, did William even come back? Who did come back? I remember seeing Sissi last night, but other than her and her friend, I don't remember seeing anyone."

"I'm not sure. We should go find Sissi," Tamiya said.

"You're not going to find her here," Herve stated as he walked up to them. "Sorry to interfere, but I just happened to hear you say you were looking for Sissi."

"What do you mean we won't find her here?" Johnny asked. "Why not?"

"I saw her leave with some guys this morning. They were riding snowmobiles out toward the slopes. That's what it looked like at least, for as far as I could see."

"Why would she be heading out into a snow storm?" Milly asked as she wiped her eyes. She left one arm around Tamiya's waist as if she still needed some comfort.

"Beats me. That's just what I saw this morning. Why'd you need to find her anyway?" Herve asked them. They all looked back and forth from each other to Herve and back. "What?"

"You don't think that they…." Johnny started.

"They'd never stay up…." Tamiya said. "But if they…."

"Yeah, if they got stuck in…." Johnny continued.

"And then they couldn't…." Tamiya continued.

Milly's eyes widened. "But you don't think they really…." She covered her mouth with her hand in surprise.

"What are you guys even talking about?" Herve asked abruptly cutting off their conversation.

"Well," Johnny began. "We haven't been able to find Ulrich or Yumi or the others, and they haven't been answering their phones."

"So what? You don't think that they're still…." Herve trailed off. Johnny, Milly, and Tamiya nodded. "And you guys thing that Sissi went out with those guys to find them?" They all nodded again. Herve thought over the scenario. He played it out in his head. It would explain why she went with three guys, and why she was heading out toward the ski slopes in the middle of a blizzard. He looked at each of the others. They weren't joking. Everything made sense. "Ok, so what do we do?"

"Try calling Sissi," Milly said almost immediately.

Herve looked at her questioningly, but pulled out his phone anyway. He pressed Sissi's speed dial. It rang once and went straight into voicemail. He hung up and looked at everyone.

"It went into voicemail didn't it?" Tamiya asked.

"But how did you know?"

"So did everyone else's. I think that wherever they are, they don't have service," she replied. "It's not that unusual now that I think about it. I don't know why I didn't think of that before. It's not uncommon at all. Especially in snow storms." She pulled out her own phone. "I only have one bar myself."

Herve looked down at his own phone. "Yeah, I only have one as well. I guess that really is a possibility. Well, I guess we'll just have to wait until Sissi comes back. There's no sense in all of us going out there and getting lost out there." They all nodded. "Now, I have no more time to waste standing around chatting to you kids. I'm busy." With that remark, Herve walked away, leaving Milly, Tamiya, and Johnny standing in the lobby.

Herve walked down the hallway and turned into the café that Ashley had talked about. He sat down at an empty table next to a window and buried his head in his hands. _This is such a mess. She didn't even ask me to come along with her. Doesn't she realize how much I would do for her? _Herve sighed and shook his head. _Sissi will never see me. Besides, she has that lifeguard now anyways. What's his name anyway? Ugh. It doesn't matter. _He lifted his head and looked out the window. The snow continued to fall. _First she had Ulrich, or wanted him at least. Now she actually does have this lifeguard. Forget me. I'm just Herve. Not of an import. _He continued to think to himself about what to do with his life, and next thing he knew, Ashley came up behind him.

"May I have a seat?" she asked timidly.

He looked up at her and nodded. Then, he gestured to the seat.

"I'm glad you showed up. I wasn't sure if you would or not," she said as she sat down.

"I said I would," he said with a smile.

"Oh, we'll I'm glad you did. So, how long have you been here? You came with that school group didn't you?" she asked. "I thought I saw you with some of them earlier."

"Yeah, I came with them. I haven't seen you around though. How long have you been here?"

"I've been here for a while now. I come practically every summer because my mom works here. I wouldn't expect you to see me here. I'm just an employee…." She sighed and looked away out the window.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Herve asked.

"You know. I'm just an employee. I might as well be invisible. It's as if people see right through me. I just wait tables. I'm not important." Her words rang in his head as similar to his own as if she had just pulled his thoughts from his head.

"How can you not get noticed? You're beautiful," he said before he knew what he was saying. He bit his tongue and blushed. He turned his head away as if it would help hide himself.

Ashley looked at him and smiled sincerely. "You think I'm beautiful?"

He gulped as he realized he had roped himself into this. He had to say something. He couldn't deny it either or he'd hurt her feelings. "Uh, yeah… who wouldn't?"

She smiled as he turned to look back at her. "Well thanks. I don't get that often. I'm normally fairly invisible to people."

"I can relate. Sometimes I feel as if people don't see me or try not to see me. I've never been one to be popular, but I'm sure you could tell that." He sighed. "I've been alone this whole time. It's probably been obvious to you."

"I don't see why people wouldn't notice you. You seem like a nice guy. There aren't many of them out there."

"You don't know me," Herve said curtly. He turned back and faced out the window again. His hands were folded and resting on the table. He took another deep breath. Ashley reached out and placed her hand on top of his.

"No I don't know you, but I'd like to get to know you if you'd let me. You seem interesting. There's something about you that makes me think that you need someone to talk to. Now, I don't want to pry, but I'd love to hear about whatever it is that's bothering you if you'd like to share. I've had my own ups and downs in life, and I know that it's better to go through them with someone else. It's not easy going through things by yourself. I know." She removed her hand from his and stood up. She turned away and began to walk out.

She hadn't taken more than two or three steps when Herve called out after her. "Wait, Ashley! I do want someone to talk to." He stood up and walked over to her. "I've always been a misfit since as long as I could remember, and then I met Sissi."

"Oh. So, this is about a girl," she interjected.

"Do you want to hear this or not?"

"Sorry. I do."

Herve nodded. "As I was saying…."

**Well, Thanks for reading.  
I promise more action to come.  
AP Exams are coming up soon though, so don't blame me if I'm slow.  
I'll update asap. **


	54. No Matter What They Say

**This is the last chapter of this story.  
I could go on and on, but I feel like this needs to come to an end.  
I'll make a sequel if enough people want one.  
****I will have an epilogue though.  
Look for that coming up.  
****Thanks for all of the people who have been with me sense the beginning!  
I love you guys! **

**No Matter What They Say**

**Chapter 54: No Matter What They Say**

_Look ahead. Face forward. Look around. Do anything but cry. Don't you dare cry. I will not have you messing up anything else. Why did you even give it away? Don't you have any self worth? Head spinning… Eyes fuzzy…. Calm down. You're going to freak yourself out. Calm down. You're going to be fine. You'll get down the mountain and get something to eat and everything will be perfectly fine. Better than fine even. You have Odd. Can't you see how good things are becoming? Everything is finally turning up. Close your eyes. Relax. Stay calm. Pounding temples. Lightheaded. Don't think too much. Just relax. Everything will be wonderful._

Aelita closed her eyes and waited to get down the mountain. She felt Odd's arms wrapped protectively around her waist. He leaned closer to her every once and a while as if to reassure her that he was in fact still there.

"Surely, we're almost down, Aelita. I can see the place from here," Odd whispered in her ear. "Only a couple more minutes until we're back. Then we can get something to eat and warm up."

She nodded slightly, just enough for him to know that she had heard him. She didn't want to say anything for fear that she'd break down or her voice would catch. She didn't want to shake her head too much for fear that she would get too lightheaded and pass out. She had been worried about passing out for a while. She knew that it would be a possibility as soon as she realized they didn't have much food in the beginning. When she told Odd at the beginning that it was possible to live without food for a long time, she never said it was comfortable. She just hadn't wanted to worry him.

Odd's arms tightened around her waist again. "See how we're getting even closer? It won't be long now."

Aelita sighed, half worried, half in relief. _It all comes down to this. After almost 2 and a half years of knowing Odd, it all comes down to this. Odd and I are a couple. After today, everyone will know. Oh, Odd. I don't know why I didn't see him earlier. The way he makes me laugh and smile when no one else can. The way he always knows what to say to get me out of a slump. The way his smile can light a room. The way he jokes about everything. The way most of his jokes aren't funny. The way I always feel special around him. The way he always makes me feel safe. The way he never judges me. The way he knows when to pull me away from too serious topics. The way he nudges me toward the funner things in life. The way he gets me to say words like funner. The way he makes me feel comfortable in anything. The way he knows when to cheer me up and when to let me sulk. The way he stays when I tell him to leave. The way he is so intelligent about everything I am not. The way he dances when no one is watching. The way he knows me like no one else. I don't know why I haven't seen him there before. He was in front of me this entire time and I never even knew. He was there that very first day on Lyoko. He's saved me from countless Xana attacks. He's been in practically all of my classes. He's taken me to dances. He's taken me for ice cream. He's taken me ice-skating. We've been friends forever, but I never saw that we could be anything more than that. Now, we finally get to be together. No restrictions. No boundaries. No one to tell us no. No one to stop us from doing what we want. Just him and me. I finally can be happy. _Aelita started to tear up slightly. She reached up and wiped her eyes quickly. Just then, she felt Odd squeeze her from around the waist. _A practically new me has formed. I don't have to worry any longer. We're going to get down this mountain, we're going to get something to eat, and we'll get better. Then, we'll be happy. I get to spend the entire rest of the trip with him. Yumi will have Ulrich. I'll have Odd. Heck, even Sissi has Kiptyn. This has turned around. I don't care what anyone else says anymore. It's my life. _

"Odd," Aelita whispered.

"What is it, princess?" he asked nervously and leaned forward to hear her better.

"How does that song go again?"

Odd smiled. "You'll be in my heart from this day on now and forever more. You'll be in my heart, no matter what they say. You'll be here in my heart always," Odd whispered directly into her ear.

"Will you sing it to me again when we get down?"

"Sure, Aelita, but I don't really have the best voice."

"I love your voice, Odd," she said with a smile. "Do you promise to sing to me?"

"I promise, Aelita. We can do whatever you want. We have forever."

"You promise you'll never leave?" Aelita asked timidly.

"Aelita," Odd started to whisper in her ear. It was so soft that she could just barely hear it over the roar of the snowmobiles. "I will never leave you. You will have to leave me. I love you so much. I don't think I could ever leave you."

"Thanks for everything. I love you too, Odd. I love you oh so much. I always will, no matter what they say." Aelita leaned back against Odd and sighed comfortably. "Everything is going to change." Odd wrapped himself tightly around her and smiled.

"Oh, Aelita. I couldn't imagine going through any of this without you. Everything might change, but we'll be together forever. No matter what they say."

**Thanks for sticking around to the end.  
Feel free to comment saying what you think i should do next. **


	55. Epilogue: Dance

**Not sure what to say.  
Here's the epilogue. **

**No Matter What They Say**

**Epilogue: Dance**

The lights were flashing. Kids bodies were jumping up and down, rubbing up next to each other. The sound system was blasting loud, rocking the floor. Fists were pumping in the air. Aelita was smiling and laughing, bouncing next to Yumi. They were both glad to finally be having a great time on their vacation. Odd and Ulrich were dancing with them, smiling and screaming the words along with the song.

"I'm not a rich kid! Baby, that's a good thing! I ain't got shit, but I got this far! Keeping it real! Rhymin' and stealin'! Doin' what I want! OoooooOOooooo! Got no money! But its alwaaaaaaaayyyss, always sunny, hunny!" they screamed along with the song. Aelita laughed and spun herself around, completely enjoying herself. Odd sang to her, and she laughed as he made an awkward face. Yumi laughed, watching Ulrich's dance moves. Although he was good at actual formal dancing, he wasn't the best at dancing in clubs. She was enjoying the fact that he was dancing anyway.

Sissi and Kiptyn were with them. Over the last couple days they had gotten closer, almost as inseparable as Odd and Aelita, who were constantly together. Sissi made a habit of going to work with Kiptyn, even though she only lounged around while he worked. They spent a lot of their time talking together. He completely forgave her for what went on between her and Ayden. They both knew that it was nothing. Sissi was almost fully accepted by Ulrich and the others. They hung out a lot more since she got together with Kiptyn. She changed over the summer. She was a lot nicer and more loose and comfortable around everyone. She smiled at Yumi and continued to jump up and down to the beat of the music.

The room was packed full of people. It was surprising. It was hard to believe that there were so many young people even at the resort. Most of them hung out at the Pulse since the snowstorm closed off all of the ski slopes. The Pulse was the best club at the resort, and the only club that allowed teens in. They were all dancing to the beat of the fast paced music. There was a bar, two lounges, and an extra room for anyone who wanted a place to themselves with whomever they wanted. It could be rented out for 15-minute intervals.

Aelita smiled and waved over to the door as she saw Jared walk in. He saw her and immediately headed over. Aelita and the others greeted him when he got over and continued to dance. Jared was so relieved when they returned from being stuck on the slope that almost immediately all awkward feelings between him and Odd dissolved. Jared was pretty much an honorary member of their group. Yumi grabbed his hands and started to dance with him. He laughed, but went with it. He had been hanging out with them more often, especially recently because he never wanted to return back to his step-mom. Ulrich and Odd had gotten used to the idea that he was just being friendly and wasn't interested in Aelita or Yumi. Ulrich just continued to dance with everyone and laugh. Aelita smiled at him and grabbed his hands. He spun her around and passed her to Odd who spun her and passed her back. She laughed in delight, the happiest she'd been in her whole life. She shouted the chorus with them, "I'm not a rich kid! Baby, that's a good thing! I ain't got shit, but I got this far! Keeping it real! Rhymin' and stealin'! Doin' what I want! OoooooOOooooo! Got no money! But its alwaaaaaaaayyyss, always sunny, hunny! La la lalalala laaaaaaaaa! Always sunny, hunny! La la lalalala laaaaaaaaaa! Always sunny, hunny! Rich kids!"

Everyone applauded as the song ended and the next one came on. "OOO!" Sissi squealed as she recognized the song. Kiptyn smiled and shook his head. Sissi started moving her hips to the beat. Aelita laughed and started to do the same. Aelita had started to come out of her shell over the past few days since she got down from the slopes. Practically as soon as they returned, people began to talk about her and Odd. At first, she was a little bothered, but soon enough, she didn't care whatsoever. She let loose and began to enjoy herself. Odd noticed the change. She became more spontaneous and smiled more often. She was no longer forced into depression by Jeremie or anyone else. Artemis tried to make a pass on her once more since she arrived back, but Odd made it pretty clear that he wasn't going to let anyone ruin her life again. Artemis backed off, and hasn't bothered her since.

Sissi raised her hands and spun around. "I see ya got low, and ya got plenty more to show! Shake it like a pompom! Like a pompom!" she shouted along with the lyrics. She shook her hips again. She was wearing a simple red dress with a black band placed to perfectly show off her chest. When she shook her hips it showed off her figure. Kiptyn couldn't keep his eyes off of her. She noticed and smiled at him. "He tryin' to spit the game! What he had to say!"

"Has anybody ever told you you look like Beyonce?" Kiptyn finished the line. Sissi laughed and grabbed his hands. She placed them on her hips and began to twist up and down. He blushed but began to get used to it and moved along with her.

Yumi laughed as Jared began to shake his hips along with the beat. She raised her hands in the hair and spun around again. Ulrich started to get more comfortable with Yumi over the last couple of days as well. They still were somewhat reserved around others, but they were starting to get more comfortable. He snatched her around the waist and danced close, their bodies moving in sync. Her eyes widened a little, but she moved along with him.

The songs continued to blare and move the floor and walls. The bodies in the club moved along with the beat, bouncing and shaking all night long. At some point during the night, Herve showed up with Ashley. The passed the dance floor and headed to a lounge where they talked together. After the first day, they became very good friends. She was just what he needed. She helped him straighten out his feelings for Sissi and even helped him confront her. It was after he talked to Sissi that he realized he just wanted the best for her and finally let her go. Ashley and he decided to give a relationship a try, but neither of them decided to go fast. They decided to take their time and get to know one another. They spent most of their night chatting while the others continued to dance.

Lately, Milly tended to spend her time with Tamiya, Hiroki and sometimes Johnny. They didn't hang out at the club, but rather at the ice skating rink or the pool. Tamiya and Milly remained just as close as ever, if not closer since Hiroki came into Milly's life. Hiroki and Johnny on the other hand began to have a tense relationship. When Hiroki wasn't swooning over Milly, Johnny and Hiroki were the best of friends. When Milly was around, it was harder for Hiroki to pay attention to Johnny and include him. Hiroki also tended to talk about Milly too much for Johnny's taste. Sometimes they would argue because of it. It's hard to tell what will become of their friendship.

Yumi and Ulrich turned in first that night. They began to get tired around 1:30 and headed back to Yumi's room after saying goodbye to everyone. They spent a while to themselves in Yumi's room before curling up and sleeping. Ulrich kissed Yumi's neck, one of her favorite things. She liked the way his lips felt against her skin.

Jared was the next one to leave. He called it quits just a little after Yumi and Ulrich. He knew that his dad wouldn't like it if he stayed out too late. Aelita gave him a hug as he departed, promising to meet him for lunch the next day.

Aelita continued to dance with Sissi, Kiptyn, and Odd. They all sang along with the lyrics and raised their hands to fist pump to the beat. "To the winddoooooow! To the wall! To the wall! Till the sweat drip down and fall!" Odd shouted along with the rest in the club. They continued to dance and party well into 2 am. Aelita's purple dress clung to her body. She worked herself up as she continued to party. Odd grabbed her hands and twisted back and forth. Aelita laughed, thoroughly enjoying herself. Sissi smiled at Herve when he left around 2:20. He gave a small wave as he headed out the door with Ashley in tow. Ashley smiled at Sissi who returned a smile of her own.

By 3, Aelita couldn't take anymore dancing. Her feet couldn't go on any longer. She wrapped her arm around Odd's waist. Sissi smiled and mentioned that her feet were extremely tired as well. Over the last couple days, she spent quite a few nights in Kiptyn's room on the couch bed. That's where she was heading that night. Ayden stopped bothering her and Kiptyn. He was almost sociable to them. He was still Ayden though. He still made some jokes about getting in her pants and brought home girls quite a few of the nights.

Aelita smiled as they walked out of the club together. She carried her shoes along with her. Sissi did the same. They laughed and continued to chat all the way to the elevator and up to Sissi and Kiptyn's stop. They got off and headed to his room. Oliver was asleep in his bed already. Ayden wasn't in the room, but it wasn't surprising. If he wasn't there, he was usually in some other girl's room. Sissi quietly headed to the bathroom and changed into pajamas before returning. She and Kiptyn snuggled up close together in bed, and he fell asleep with his arm wrapped round her waist.

Aelita and Odd walked down the hall to his room. Jeremie tended to stay with Matthias Durrell lately. Although he no longer wanted to be with Aelita, he didn't exactly like being around them. He felt more comfortable in Matthias' room where he could be relatively alone. Matthias only had one roommate previously. Jeremie slept on the couch. William continued to share a room with Odd and Ulrich. He didn't really care what happened between Odd and Aelita and Jeremie. He wasn't around much anyway. He liked to wander the building. He could often be found at the pool or playing ping-pong. Aelita and Odd walked inside quietly. William was asleep in his bed. Aelita quickly changed into pajamas and then snuggled up in bed next to Odd. He spent a couple minutes whispering into her ear. She smiled and melted into his arms. She eventually fell asleep to the sweet sound of his voice.

**I hope you liked it.  
Review please. **


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